Brooding right now

[princess12]

My girl has been brooding for 16 days! I am very excited, but of course this is my first on doodles! I have some questions, will the mother keep the chicks with her? Do I remove them from the coop and keep them inside until they are older? I have a total of 9 hens and 1 Roo! I just want to be sure what to do she has been laying on the eggs for 16 days so not long now and we will have some doodles!!! Thanks in advance

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I like to keep them with the mother but sometimes, if you have the space, I like to separate the broody from the flock so I can give the chicks grower feed. The flock tends to gobble it up before the chicks get any.

Did you mark the eggs under her so other hens won't contribute more during the brooding causing a staggered hatch?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some people like to let the broody take care of everything naturally, but after having a couple of dead chicks because the broody let them get away from her, I like to keep them in a dog crate for the first week. Then when she is ready, I let the broody out with the chicks and let her take complete care. When i have chicks around, I get rid of layer feed, and everyone gets 20% flock raiser or unmedicated chick crumbles with extra calcium (oyster shell) available for the hens.

 

[princess12]

I cannot get to the eggs! She is very protective, everytime I reach in there to try to see she pecks me and wont let me pick her up? I did mark the original 6 that were under her but I have noticed she has my other girls sit on her eggs while she takes a break. She will sit and watch the girl on her eggs and I know there are other hens going in laying in there and she nabs the eggs! I tried to move her because my other hens will come in and I found one sitting on the broody ones head yesterday I tried to shew her off of her but she refused and the broody started pecking. I noticed thier are 2 white eggs under her just a couple days ago should i throw those out? Or check to see if they are veining? After the chicks are hatched does the mom no longer still sit on the other eggs?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

She'll sit for a couple days after the first hatch if there are unhatched ones and she will then abandon the rest.
I try to catch their daily stretch, feed, water, poop stint and pull out all the extras then.
You could eat the eggs, If they gross you out you can scramble and feed them back to the hens. I wouldn't sell any eggs that have spent much time under the hens though.

 

[princess12]

Once the chicks hatch do i need to give them any type of medicine?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

no
Unless you want to vaccinate for Marek's.

 

[princess12]

What's mareks? Sorry again in new at all this.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is a debilitating disease with no cure. People that have had it in their flock tend to vaccinate for it. It's everywhere but many breeds and strains are resistant.