bourbon red hen had 11 polts put them and her in pen wont go in coop

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I am sorta in the same situation as you. I have 4 turkey hens that laid eggs and became broody wherever they darn tootin' pleased and I let them. My girls are STUBBORN but I am the same as you, I DO NOT interfere with nature. I just made sure that they were safe and secure. if the location would have been unsafe, I would have moved the hen but they all were safe. My girls laid and hatched eggs in the chicken house where there are about 20 nesting boxes. Trying to move a broody hen is like fighting with a vulture, buzzard or eagle and I was not going to risk my life and get killed by a broody, mean turkey........so, I let the girls do their thing. I monitored when it was time to hatch. As they hatched, I took the poults away. I tried to put the poults with a turkey hen but she refused to be a mom. So, I brought them in the house.

Where do you have your turkey and babies? Are they in a safe place? Can predators get them? On last year, I had a hen that made a nest in my dirt coop and that is where she hatched about 17 babies. I also had a nice, warm, comfy straw nest but she preferred the dirt. Go figure.

If I were you, I would force the indoor move. You don't want to lose any poults. They are so precious and so fragile. I would move them.

You can also try giving her the newly hatched poults and see if she will accept them. Just monitor her after you place the poults and see how she responds. If she doesn't peck at them and if you feel safe that she won't hurt them, then leave them with her. Once they decide to get off of those eggs, that's it. Quick thinking and I applaud

you for putting those eggs in the incubator. Good job.

Good luck with that last egg that I hope will hatch. Post some pics of those babies when you can.


I hope this helps. Maybe Steve will come along with better info that I can give you.

 

[whenchickensdream]

Hello, I'm not Steve (who gives the best advice). Just thought I would say that we can't seem to control any of our animals. They fly here and there even though we provice a lovely hen house and lots of feed. We have one black hen that flies out early in the morning to lay her egg, sits on it all day and then paces around the fence to be let back in at night. She can't seem to fly back in. She is a funny girl. Aren't they stubborn?

We all just seem to do the best we can and sometimes fly by the seat of our pants. We just hatched out 12 little mixed heritage breed poults and still don't know what we are going to do with them as all the houses are full. I put another 41 eggs in the 'bator Monday. I can't wait to see what we get. When they get a little older we will find a place for them or build a new one.

I was going to say, too, about trying it and see how it works with putting the babies in with mom. I agree that it was good thinking to put them in the 'bator. I may not have done that.

Yes, pictures please. Love them babies.