Broody Faverolle

[BlindLemonChicken]

I think my Salmon Faverolle is going broody. Which I am totally fine with because I have a dozen chicks that are making a mess in my garage. The chicks are from 2-5 weeks old (ish. I can't remember. The Turkens are feathered out and twice the size of Orps.The smallest chicks are about a quarter the size of the Turkens and not feathered out). Would it be a terrible idea to put them all out in my broody/baby coop with the broody hen? Totally separate from the rest of the flock of course. Temps here are in the 20s at night and up to 50 during the day.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Probably not a good idea, especially with a first time brooder.

First, as you implied, she is just now contemplating brooding. That generally takes a couple of days to set in fully until she is setting 24x7, getting up only to poo and eat for 20 minutes, going back into a trance. Setting is setting on eggs, nonstop.

Then, she needs to set at least a couple of weeks before her hormones are ready to brood chicks. She won't expect them until 3 weeks. Some hens will accept earlier. Others not. She then goes into lock down to not move at all those last couple of days. She will talk to her chicks as they pip and peep. That transitions her to brooding chicks.

Lastly, the chicks aren't small fluffed day old chicks. They are older chicks. Most hens fledge (kick to the curb) chicks by the time they are 5 to 6 weeks old. And 2 week old chicks barely snuggle under mom much, scratching all day long, only cuddling at night. She may be, at best, more likely wanting to set and protect her nest to hatch chicks, so she may see them as a threat to her nest.

Those varying ages can make it difficult for any hen to brood...unless you have a very compliant mother. A brooding hen wants to sit on the nest, hatch at day 21, then 2 days after hatching, when chicks are fluffed, will get up, abandoning the nest, and start teaching the chicks to scratch and forage. At THAT point you can often, with a good mother, add other chicks, and she just scoops them all into the brood (hens are often bad at math)...but other hens don't like the interference from strangers. And older chicks can interfere and trample younger chicks.

So my general advice would be this is likely a bad idea. Your hen likely will not want to care for the young 2 week olds (who will need to be under her at the cold night) and may resent the 5 week olds.

Having said that, some hens are so mother-y that the will snuggle and take ANYthing under their wing, any age and stage. But that is typically the exception rather than the rule.

LofMc

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Probably not a good idea, especially with a first time brooder.

First, as you implied, she is just now contemplating brooding. That generally takes a couple of days to set in fully until she is setting 24x7, getting up only to poo and eat for 20 minutes, going back into a trance. Setting is setting on eggs, nonstop.

Then, she needs to set at least a couple of weeks before her hormones are ready to brood chicks. She won't expect them until 3 weeks. Some hens will accept earlier. Others not. She then goes into lock down to not move at all those last couple of days. She will talk to her chicks as they pip and peep. That transitions her to brooding chicks.

Lastly, the chicks aren't small fluffed day old chicks. They are older chicks. Most hens fledge (kick to the curb) chicks by the time they are 5 to 6 weeks old. And 2 week old chicks barely snuggle under mom much, scratching all day long, only cuddling at night. She may be, at best, more likely wanting to set and protect her nest to hatch chicks, so she may see them as a threat to her nest.

Those varying ages can make it difficult for any hen to brood...unless you have a very compliant mother. A brooding hen wants to sit on the nest, hatch at day 21, then 2 days after hatching, when chicks are fluffed, will get up, abandoning the nest, and start teaching the chicks to scratch and forage. At THAT point you can often, with a good mother, add other chicks, and she just scoops them all into the brood (hens are often bad at math)...but other hens don't like the interference from strangers. And older chicks can interfere and trample younger chicks.

So my general advice would be this is likely a bad idea. Your hen likely will not want to care for the young 2 week olds (who will need to be under her at the cold night) and may resent the 5 week olds.

Having said that, some hens are so mother-y that the will snuggle and take ANYthing under their wing, any age and stage. But that is typically the exception rather than the rule.

LofMc

Thank you! Makes sense. I am pretty impatient to get these little boogers outside and I've always wanted to let a broody do the work for me but I've never been in a position to do it. All the stars must align! Thanks again!