Arkansas folks speak up.........

[Puddin Fluff]

How fun! I have 6 - one month old babies with broody Mama and they are flying quite well. I expect them to be roosting anytime now. Mama is a Phoenix and her last brood she took to roost about this age. I have been watching them flying in the pen and they are getting quite good.

 

[draye]

Yes, I think they tend to do things a little quicker when raised by a chicken mama.

.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I think so. With her they have someone showing them the ropes. When they are all babies, they just have to wait for the first brave chickie to give it a try.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve seen a broody take her 2 week olds to the roosts in the heat of summer. The chicks flew up two feet to the top of my nests, then flew another two feet up and three feet horizontally to get to the roosts. I saw them doing this, it was obvious they could have gone a lot further if Mama had insisted. But four to five weeks is more normal for my broodies to take them up there. Some broodies never doo before they wean them but that is rare.

I have had brooder raised chicks start roosting on their own at 5-1/2 weeks but 10 to 12 weeks is more normal. I’ve had some take a lot longer. Each brood, whether broody-raised or brooder-raised, is unique. They each do their own thing. They are just not consistent. But I agree. A broody raised chick learns to be a chicken at a much younger age. All of them will eventually get here but that transition to flock member just goes so much easier with a broody leading the way.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I have had 4 broody batches this year and while I can't set as many eggs at a time, the hatch rate has been 100% on eggs that showed development after 8 days. I certainly didn't get anything near that when I used an incubator. I am not hatching for profit, just fun and I am a true broody convert after this year. Plus, the after hatch caregiving is so much easier!

 

[draye]

I have had 4 broody batches this year and while I can't set as many eggs at a time, the hatch rate has been 100% on eggs that showed development after 8 days.  I certainly didn't get anything near that when I used an incubator.  I am not hatching for profit, just fun and I am a true broody convert after this year.  Plus, the after hatch caregiving is so much easier!

I would really prefer hatching tag way, but I'm nit set up to handle broodies.

There hasn't anything more entertaining to me than watchmaking a broody with her babies.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I have a great flock right now so I have left the broodies in with the flock and just removed extra eggs laid each day. I do put up a cage around the broody right before hatch so that the hatchlings don't get trampled by other girls who just want to lay in the favorite box ( I had that happen early on). Of course the broody picks the most popular nest box and the others don't want to change their habits either. I put food and water in close to her for the "lock up" period and after the babies are hopping all over mom, I remove the cage and the continue their business as usual.

 

[RetiredRon]

I have a great broody, she released her turkeys she hatched at about 8 weeks. She is sitting on some eggs right now, but I'm wondering if any of them are developing. My only cockrell is going on 7 months now, and all but what she is laying is coming from other 7 month pullets... she hatched all of them too btw.
I have been looking for a candler. It's been hard to find... I tried using a 100w bulb, on a mirror surrounded by a metal globe so all the light comes through one hole...I wrapped it with a towel to keep the eggs from touching the hot metal..
They are Brown eggs and I can't see anything. .. I have been waiting till I see them seep or get liquid inside... lighter than the other eggs.. I get rid of those..
I haven't been having any luck with them. Do you think my cockrell isn't fertilizing them even though he seems like he is doing his job.
Between the hawk and dog.. I'm down to 7 chickens and 3 turkeys. I noticed my Tom is coming into season. . He is fluffing, chasing the girls and getting a little aggressive.
After observing the hawk activities. . It seems it's an entire family. My neighbor says they sit on his fence and don't mess with his red sexlinks..
I was reading somewhere that if the chicken is too heavy for the hawk to carry, it will eat the inside of their belly and come back to get the rest later. That's what happened to my last one killed.
I have been watching for these predators. I see the Hawks pretty regular. . They were in my yard a couple days ago, but I didn't loose any chickens. I also saw the dog yesterday sniffing around. . I just knew I had lost another baby, but I ran him off and they were all still here...

 

[RetiredRon]

I have a 3 almost 4 month pullet that lost its mom while we were gone. I took her in at night because she was sleeping alone in a dog house. She didn't fit with either group.
She was staying inside a cage at night then she would scratch all day with the turkeys, during the worst of the hawk isssues, she ran inside when the door was open and will only go out when I take her or she follows me... then she follows me back..
I tried to leave her out yesterday but when I went to check on her, she was hiding in a hole..
When I step back to observe, the turkeys now peck at her and the two 7 month pullets do too.
I'm protecting her and I'm thinking when she comes in and the cockrell takes her as his, he will protect her.. and she will start staying outside more again and then when she has her first batch, I'm thinking she will forget about us.
Currently, she keeps us in her site or sits in her cage pretty much.

 

[RetiredRon]

As I was writing this, my cockrell and turkeys were sounding the scared alarm and I had to run out...
They are staying in cover and together.. I didnt see anything.. doesn't mean it ain't there though