Broody hatch...what went wrong???

[MamaMarcy]

I don't want to put them down at run level for 2 reasons: no shelter and there's adult chickens and ducks in there, I worry they'll eat them.

 

[Pinx]

ahh, I assumed they were still hanging out in a nest box.
I don't know about the ramp, I have a ramp outside that goes into the coop that my chicks go up and down at about a week old but it doesn't have much of an incline and only goes up about a foot.

I have ducks other chickens etc and I partitioned a part of the inside of the coop off for my broodies and their babies. I leave the mamas with their chick in there until the chicks are about a week old, then I let them out with the others and they aren't as vulnerable I think. The chicks can keep up with mama easier also. My broodies actually all help each other raise babies so if something wants to pick on a chick it has more then 1 mama to worry about.

 

[MamaMarcy]

The condo is basically a big nest box that the 2 broodies took over. It's maybe 2 1/2 feet off the ground and the ramp is like 4 or 5 feet long?

 

[MamaMarcy]

this is new to me...so any advice is appreciated!!

 

[Paulajon]

this is new to me...so any advice is appreciated!!

Hi I have 2 silkie hens that both shared in the hatching of the eggs I ran wire to seperate them from rest of flock , gave them a nest box on the floor, which the mamas decided that they didn't want to use, I even put eggs in there and they rolled them out, they used a corner beside the nest box, and every time I would check on them they rolled the eggs to another spot and they shared the eggs and snuck them from each other . I took some of the eggs from them and hatched them in the bator, I left them 3 eggs as they were first time moma's and they hatched all three within 3 days. my silkies seem to like being on ground level with out using a nest box. maybe its the height.

 

[Pinx]

Quote: I haven't finished my nest boxes the way I want them so right now my chickens, sleep, lay, brood, and take care of babies in square buckets... they aren't quite as big as a 5 gallon bucket. Just have shavings in them and they lay on the floor on their side with a second row stacked on top. Their pen inside their coop that is sectioned off is chicken wire, this is the only place I can keep water inside that the ducks won't come in like gang busters and have it gone in 5 minutes. I prefer the mamas keep the babies inside for a little while and if the ducks drink all the water they will take them out side to the big waterers.

I love the buckets because when a hen goes broody, I can just pick the bucket up and relocate the hen wherever I want at night and she is none the wiser... I tried moving the hen and eggs to a different bucket in a different pen but the hen left the eggs wanting to go back to her bucket. So now I just move the whole bucket and there is plenty of room for my 2 silkies and their babies if they decide to make it a group effort.

I have one silkie right now that is sitting on my Serama eggs. I had moved both broodies into their own boxes, then moved both boxes to my pen I set up for them the next night. I also have a big old dog kennel in that pen. After one hen hatched her eggs I put the hen with my Seramas in the dog kennel (in her bucket still) with food and water. She still has room to get out drink, eat, poop but I don't have to worry about her leaving her eggs to mother the other chicks or the other hen coming in and trying to steal eggs to sit on.

If your box is big enough for mama and babies to be comfortable in for a week or two with plenty of room to move around and scratch in, I would lock them up in it. If your mamas take the babies out of the nest they will still be around the ducks and chickens that are keeping you from putting them all on the floor. I would just be worried that a chick would be hurt from the fall or a hen wouldn't stay with it if it didn't go up the ramp.
Ideal would be to seperate all of them from the flock in a different pen, but not all may want to do that or have the room etc.

 

[MamaMarcy]

Well, the birds had different plans than I did.

I went to check on them all and the mamas were down below in the run with 3 of the 5 chicks (there were 6 but one died yesterday...it was the droopy one I picked out at the feed store cause I always feel sorry for the droopy ones). That left 2 mille fleur chicks up in the condo huddled together trying to stay warm. The 3 chciks with mamas down below were happily learnign to forage and the ducks and rooster and other "big chickens" weren't bothering them at all. So I got our mastiffs put away, let the non-mama and non-baby birds out to free range and set up a square bucket with bedding (love this idea!!!). I grabbed the 2 stranded babes and put them down with the rest. One is acting lethargic so I warmed it a bit then made sure the mamas sat on it. They don't seem to want anything to do with the bucket but have taken over a corner under a cat scratching post (don't ask lol). I put the chick waterer and chick starter near the nest-bucket. I then closed off the condo to prevent the mamas from going back to the nest without the babies.

So, we'll see how it goes. This is for sure going to prepare me for the clutch under the 3rd hen when hatch time comes later this month.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions!

 

[Pinx]

Well, the birds had different plans than I did.

I went to check on them all and the mamas were down below in the run with 3 of the 5 chicks (there were 6 but one died yesterday...it was the droopy one I picked out at the feed store cause I always feel sorry for the droopy ones). That left 2 mille fleur chicks up in the condo huddled together trying to stay warm. The 3 chciks with mamas down below were happily learnign to forage and the ducks and rooster and other "big chickens" weren't bothering them at all. So I got our mastiffs put away, let the non-mama and non-baby birds out to free range and set up a square bucket with bedding (love this idea!!!). I grabbed the 2 stranded babes and put them down with the rest. One is acting lethargic so I warmed it a bit then made sure the mamas sat on it. They don't seem to want anything to do with the bucket but have taken over a corner under a cat scratching post (don't ask lol). I put the chick waterer and chick starter near the nest-bucket. I then closed off the condo to prevent the mamas from going back to the nest without the babies.

So, we'll see how it goes. This is for sure going to prepare me for the clutch under the 3rd hen when hatch time comes later this month.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions!

Don't you just love when we have everything all planned out and they think that they know best lol. Sorry about your chick that died.

Your hens may not take to the bucket at first, especially since their chicks have already hatched and they aren't used to it. Your other broody though if you get her in a bucket now (If that is what you choose to use) by the time her chicks hatch she will have spent a lot of time in the bucket and won't think twice about it once her chicks hatch.
When I first put the buckets in my coop my hens would lay their eggs in between them and sleep in the corner with the ducks on the floor, or on top of the buckets. If they went broody I just moved them into a bucket, sometimes they would roll all of their eggs back in between the buckets and I would move them again... now they lay their eggs in the buckets and go broody in the buckets. Took a little work in the beginning to make them come around to my way of thinking lol, but it is a lot easier to move them around while they are in the buckets.

 

[MamaMarcy]

The buckets are really just such a cool idea. and I happened to have one on hand. It's a watering bucket with nipples on the bottom but will serve the purpose

I'm just thrilled the mama hens have adopted these chicks. They seem particularily fond of the cochin babies for some reason

The 3rd bantam cochin is sitting on a clutch of shipped mille fleur bantam eggs and 4 naked neck eggs from our own birds (also bantams)...her nest is better than the one that just produced 7 rotten eggs. She's in the other condo in an actual nest box with better bedding. So I'm crossing my fingers that at least some of her eggs hatch. I'll candle Wednesday night.

 

[Pinx]

The buckets are really just such a cool idea. and I happened to have one on hand. It's a watering bucket with nipples on the bottom but will serve the purpose

I'm just thrilled the mama hens have adopted these chicks. They seem particularily fond of the cochin babies for some reason

The 3rd bantam cochin is sitting on a clutch of shipped mille fleur bantam eggs and 4 naked neck eggs from our own birds (also bantams)...her nest is better than the one that just produced 7 rotten eggs. She's in the other condo in an actual nest box with better bedding. So I'm crossing my fingers that at least some of her eggs hatch. I'll candle Wednesday night.

Good Luck with your next batch

. Glad to hear your mama took the babies. I had a lone chick hatch in the incubator last week and didn't want to brood it by himself so I put him under one of my broodies that had chicks hatching at the same time. I was SO worried she wouldn't take him, but she did. All 4 chicks are identical and I don't think she or I could pick out the one she didn't hatch out if we wanted to lol.