Arizona Chickens

[mnabity]

For those that have dealt with broody hens I have a few questions. My 2 year old Black Australorp has gone broody. This is my first time dealing with a broody in my 5 years of having chickens. I don't have a too but I do have a friend who will give me a dozen if his fertile Aracauna eggs on Wednesday. She is sitting on the favorite nest so my other girls often cuddle up to her to lay their eggs. When I do get the fertile eggs would it be okay to leave her with the flock or would it be better to put her in a separate area? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mom-to-5]

For those that have dealt with broody hens I have a few questions. My 2 year old Black Australorp has gone broody. This is my first time dealing with a broody in my 5 years of having chickens. I don't have a too but I do have a friend who will give me a dozen if his fertile Aracauna eggs on Wednesday. She is sitting on the favorite nest so my other girls often cuddle up to her to lay their eggs. When I do get the fertile eggs would it be okay to leave her with the flock or would it be better to put her in a separate area? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

I just went through this too. I got a dozen fertile eggs and let her hatch them out. Most people will recommend that you remove her from the flock. I chose not to remove my broody. I do have 6 nesting boxes and only 8 hens so that was not an issue. She sat on the eggs and hatched out her chicks all around the flock.
Once the chicks hatched I sat a large box with betting in a corner of the coop with food and water close by so she had more room to care for them. She moved over to this spacious nest herself. Then she took the chicks out to free range at 3 days old. She brings them in at night to the larger nest while the other hens roost.
I choose not to seperate the broody mostly out of laziness! I do not have a seperate area for her and would need to build something. Also, I didn't want to have to reintroduce her to the flock or deal with introducing the chicks. Luckily, things have worked out great! She does a great job with them. The other birds leave the chicks alone and momma has plenty of space free ranging to keep to herself with the chicks.
While it is probably safest to seperate. If your situation is similar to mine (large coop, small flock, free ranging, etc), keeping her in the flock may work. But she may need a makeshift nest so your nesting boxes are free.
Here is our momma with her crew:

 

[K9Dave]

I just went through this too. I got a dozen fertile eggs and let her hatch them out. Most people will recommend that you remove her from the flock. I chose not to remove my broody. I do have 6 nesting boxes and only 8 hens so that was not an issue. She sat on the eggs and hatched out her chicks all around the flock.
Once the chicks hatched I sat a large box with betting in a corner of the coop with food and water close by so she had more room to care for them. She moved over to this spacious nest herself. Then she took the chicks out to free range at 3 days old. She brings them in at night to the larger nest while the other hens roost.
I choose not to seperate the broody mostly out of laziness! I do not have a seperate area for her and would need to build something. Also, I didn't want to have to reintroduce her to the flock or deal with introducing the chicks. Luckily, things have worked out great! She does a great job with them. The other birds leave the chicks alone and momma has plenty of space free ranging to keep to herself with the chicks.
While it is probably safest to seperate. If your situation is similar to mine (large coop, small flock, free ranging, etc), keeping her in the flock may work. But she may need a makeshift nest so your nesting boxes are free.
Here is our momma with her crew:

To me this sounds like the best way because it's how they would do it in nature I guess. What kind of chicken is that? Naked Neck?

 

[maryhysong]

For those that have dealt with broody hens I have a few questions. My 2 year old Black Australorp has gone broody. This is my first time dealing with a broody in my 5 years of having chickens. I don't have a too but I do have a friend who will give me a dozen if his fertile Aracauna eggs on Wednesday. She is sitting on the favorite nest so my other girls often cuddle up to her to lay their eggs. When I do get the fertile eggs would it be okay to leave her with the flock or would it be better to put her in a separate area? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

you would be better off moving her to her own area. A large dog crate on the coop floor is a great option. Leaving her in the nest box means that first the others will fight to use it and you risk broken eggs. Second the other new eggs will have to be removed every day disturbing her further.

 

[maryhysong]

Well a bit of excitement last evening. I was on my way out to do butt checks since I've been battling mites on some birds and lice on others. Now you have to realize that I often go out to the car barefoot in the dark. Well I doubt I'll do that again any time soon. Glad I had my headlamp on because there was a rattlesnake right in the driveway. Went back in for the gun and of course it was gone; so carefully checked the junk pile on the side of the wash and found it. I know I hit it several times, just not sure it's dead. Will be looking for it this morning.

On a happy note I found not one live bug on any chicken. Whew. Very glad about that, it has taken several months to get them bug free!

 

[mom-to-5]

To me this sounds like the best way because it's how they would do it in nature I guess. What kind of chicken is that? Naked Neck?

Yes, a necked neck. She is a great bird. Very friendly, an egg a day (she was my first to start laying) and has proven to be a very good momma. She's just a little odd looking, but we love her anyway!

 

[K9Dave]

Yes, a necked neck. She is a great bird. Very friendly, an egg a day (she was my first to start laying) and has proven to be a very good momma. She's just a little odd looking, but we love her anyway!

They are a little odd. When I was getting my first chicks, the feed store had these for sale. Didn't know much about them so we passed. Crazy looking

 

[kpgoldstar]

Well the new little ladies now have names.

Blue Orpington- River
White Silkie- Bunny
Silver Laced Polish- Padme
Blue Laced Red Wyandotte- Alexstrasza

Here's a vid I got today of Padme trying to dustbathe on the comforter

I forgot to ask you about your other girls. How is everyone doing? Sorry for your loss as well

 

[carnivore]

I woke up about 4:30 this morning, and after taking care of the most immediate manly duties, I went and checked on the chicks in the brooder. They were doing their chick thing, some sleeping, some eating, some drinking, some scratching, etc. Fine. I went back to bed. Got up again about 8 and looked in on the chicks again. Devastation! Every one was prostrate and out of it. So out of it they looked trampled on. A whirlwind disease? Nope, just sleeping. 27 chicks in the brooder, and I've never seen all of them asleep at the same time. Took some pics, but won't be able to post them til I get to my computer tomorrow.

 

[City farm]

 

Sad day here.  My neighbor called while I was out to tell me my chickens were in his yard. Very unusual.  He went to investigate, and discovered a massacre in progress.  Two dogs had broken into the yard and had killed several chickens.  They would have killed more but my neighbor threw enough rocks at the dogs to move them out of the yard.  Out of 26 chickens six are dead, two are injured, 12 are frightened but seem ok, and the rest are missing.  There were dead birds under the back deck, dead birds in the coop, and dead birds under the front deck.  The six dead birds included all five of my most-promising birds - offspring of a cock no longer with us, so I can't reproduce them.


I am proud of the six birds that went into the neighbor's yard and got away. We had a time herding them back into my yard. Smart birds.


The up side is my feed bill will go down for a while.  Sigh.

So sad Coyotes are hunting and hungry, but dogs just kill. The chase, the kill, then what to a dog. They look for the next. Coyotes head for home, sometimes hungry pups to feed.

All of the missing birds have returned.    The six dead birds are fertilizing the fallow section of the garden.  One of the injured birds can't walk.  She is resting in a kennel in the house.  I don't see any obvious external injuries but her feathers were mangled.  Hope she just needs some quiet time.  She is snoring, which may not be a good sign.  We'll see how she does over the next day or two.

So glad you found them.. So traumatizing
Awesome e
Did you find the owners? There was a pit bull loose & you could tell this one was a crazy one.. Come to find out who the owner was, he was a drug dealer..
However, so how I managed to wrangle him up, take him to the pound where he was forced to license, nuter I hope.. Any way that "$!????@$???!!" came to my door.. He just about got a a!!$$$ whopping from my D.H. For his acuzations...I only wished.. He said he was a registered boxer.. D.H. Looked him up, another lie!! He was waiting for him to take the first puch.. Dealing with the public can be so unfair.. Hope you catch this dog owner..
By the way the coward is no longer around.. Moved to a jail..