Any experience introducing broody mama and chicks to flock with cats around?

[humblehillsfarm]

My birds free-range. My hen hatched two chicks 1.5 weeks ago and yesterday I received five 1-day old chicks that I had pre-ordered way back in January. So the issue is I only have one chicken tractor. I had contemplated putting broody mama in the tractor but in 4ish weeks the current chicks will go out. But during the day broody mama and babies have been forced to stay in a super tiny space. When I get home at 6 I can let her out into an enclosed space. I am confident she will protect babies from the other chickens as they are sharing the same space (she's enclosed within a small area of the coop). But my cats have been eyeballing those chicken nuggies. The cats can stay in during the day but I still have one outdoor cat and a stray male that has essentially set up camp at our house too (we do not feed him, but he looks well fed). How much should I be concerned about cats having an easy snack? At this rate I just don't know what the right decision is. I am afraid broody hen will freak out in the chicken tractor because she has in the past and I'm never home long enough to monitor her and the babies for an entire day. I'm concerned too that I'll have to catch her and babies to put them inside the coop and I am by myself and as you can see the space is quite tight in there! I think I've gotten in over my head.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm trying to follow your order of situation here, and am a little confused, so forgive me if I get this wrong.

You have 1 hen with chicks she hatched 1.5 weeks ago, who are in a tight space. They need to get out. Your chicken tractor is perfect. Likely momma will simply care for the chicks in that tractor and not freak out. However, since she has a poor history with the tractor, choose a day off to make this integeration. (I am assuming there are no other flock members going into that tractor).

As to the cats, as long as the cats can't get inside the tractor, or get a paw through the wire, or the chicks squeeze out of the tractor, the chicks will be fine. The cats may spend the better part of their day watching the nature show though. Consider running bird netting all along the bottom wire to keep cats from snagging a chick through the wire. So, yes, be concerned your cats may snag a chick. They won't eat one if well fed, but the fun of the chase as they are left alone to themselves will likely result in a chick being killed.

As to the 1 day old chicks, you can release them with the mother and her 2 chicks in 4 weeks as long as they have some hiding places from the adult if she should haze them a bit...or she may mother them too. Although, that chicken tractor looks too small for 8 birds for any length of time. You will soon need to get them all into larger quarters.

My thoughts and understanding. My recommendations change if you have other birds in that tractor too as that would be pretty tight if you have more than 3 adult birds.

LofMc

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I'm trying to follow your order of situation here, and am a little confused, so forgive me if I get this wrong.

You have 1 hen with chicks she hatched 1.5 weeks ago, who are in a tight space. They need to get out. Your chicken tractor is perfect. Likely momma will simply care for the chicks in that tractor and not freak out. However, since she has a poor history with the tractor, choose a day off to make this integeration. (I am assuming there are no other flock members going into that tractor).

As to the cats, as long as the cats can't get inside the tractor, or get a paw through the wire, or the chicks squeeze out of the tractor, the chicks will be fine. The cats may spend the better part of their day watching the nature show though. Consider running bird netting all along the bottom wire to keep cats from snagging a chick through the wire. So, yes, be concerned your cats may snag a chick. They won't eat one if well fed, but the fun of the chase as they are left alone to themselves will likely result in a chick being killed.

As to the 1 day old chicks, you can release them with the mother and her 2 chicks in 4 weeks as long as they have some hiding places from the adult if she should haze them a bit...or she may mother them too. Although, that chicken tractor looks too small for 8 birds for any length of time. You will soon need to get them all into larger quarters.

My thoughts and understanding. My recommendations change if you have other birds in that tractor too as that would be pretty tight if you have more than 3 adult birds.

LofMc

I think you understood it all correctly! I will be home Sunday and have thought about moving mama and two babies to the tractor Saturday night. I'm just doing this by myself and feeling overwhelmed I think. I just don't want to put them in there now and not be there to monitor events in the morning. I HATE that she is so cooped up though.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Good luck Sunday.
LofMc

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm confused, sorry. Are you wanting to put mama, two 1.5 week old chicks, and five day-old chicks together in the tractor, to keep them safe from cats? And if so, how long will they all stay in there together, or am I missing the picture entirely?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I'm confused, sorry. Are you wanting to put mama, two 1.5 week old chicks, and five day-old chicks together in the tractor, to keep them safe from cats? And if so, how long will they all stay in there together, or am I missing the picture entirely?

I was not wanting to put the new chicks with the old chicks. New chicks are safe inside my house for now. Primary concern is what to do with mama hen and her chicks. But eventually the old chicks would need to be moved out in which case the day will come that I will either need to let mama and her chicks in with the flock or put the babies in with mama and the others but I don't see that working very well. I haven't made it that far in the plan... that's still a month away hopefully.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I was not wanting to put the new chicks with the old chicks. New chicks are safe inside my house for now. Primary concern is what to do with mama hen and her chicks. But eventually the old chicks would need to be moved out in which case the day will come that I will either need to let mama and her chicks in with the flock or put the babies in with mama and the others but I don't see that working very well. I haven't made it that far in the plan... that's still a month away hopefully.

Hmmm.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Hmmm.

Hindsight is 20/20 if I could go back in time I would withhold her eggs for a week or just try harder to break her broodiness. I never once considered my cats hunting the baby chicks but when I was letting them out in a small run all three cats showed intensive interest in a snack.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well.... you could put mama and her present chicks in the tractor for a couple of weeks, then integrate them in with the flock. They should be big enough by then to look like chickens and not like baby birds, so hopefully less attractive to the cats. As far your day-olds, brood them in the house and then the tractor till they are big enough to integrate.

What do you guys think?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We have cats too, and there just comes a time when the chicks don't trigger that interest. They lost that "baby bird" appeal.