Not even sure where to put this thread but here goes... Right now, my flock consists of 2 adult hens (in the back yard) and 3 new chicks (in the laundry room) that haven't met yet. The big girls live in a tractor-coop that can hold 3-4, and my husband is about to start building a new coop that will comfortably house 5-6. I was aiming for a flock of 5, give or take 1. I assumed that either of the adult hens would go broody over the summer and I would purchase a few fertile eggs for her to sit on. We also have a little bitty tractor that we built last spring for a hen that went broody-- my plan was to use it as the in-between for when the BO chicks are too big for their brooder but too small still to mingle freely with the big girls.
SO OF COURSE, my Black Copper Maran is broody right now. I barely saw her yesterday, but it's been really rainy and I figured she was chilling out in the coop. This morning, she was in the nest when I went for eggs but I thought maybe she was just 'doing her business'... she's still there 4-5 hours later, and in that posture. You know? Not laying, but SITTING. I have no idea what to do. What I WANT to do is get her some eggs to set, because I hate the thought of 'breaking' a broody hen. But that will leave my other Maran (a Cuckoo) all on her own. (I know people say that a flock of 2 is bad news and that was never the plan, but these two have done great together since the last tragedy. They are besties.) With the BCM sitting in the coop all day, what will the CM do? And where will she lay her eggs? The BCM is sitting in the nest that they share. If I give the BCM some hatching eggs, will the CM continue to lay there too? Will I have to be fishing out her (sterile) eggs from the clutch whenever I can?
That doesn't even get into the fact that this adds up to more than 6 birds. Of the 3 BO chicks in the brooder, not sure what the sexes are. My inexpert guess at 3 weeks is that I've got two pullets and one cockerel in there. If I got 3-4 eggs... Bah. Chicken math.
I am welcoming all thoughts and advice right now!
SO OF COURSE, my Black Copper Maran is broody right now. I barely saw her yesterday, but it's been really rainy and I figured she was chilling out in the coop. This morning, she was in the nest when I went for eggs but I thought maybe she was just 'doing her business'... she's still there 4-5 hours later, and in that posture. You know? Not laying, but SITTING. I have no idea what to do. What I WANT to do is get her some eggs to set, because I hate the thought of 'breaking' a broody hen. But that will leave my other Maran (a Cuckoo) all on her own. (I know people say that a flock of 2 is bad news and that was never the plan, but these two have done great together since the last tragedy. They are besties.) With the BCM sitting in the coop all day, what will the CM do? And where will she lay her eggs? The BCM is sitting in the nest that they share. If I give the BCM some hatching eggs, will the CM continue to lay there too? Will I have to be fishing out her (sterile) eggs from the clutch whenever I can?
That doesn't even get into the fact that this adds up to more than 6 birds. Of the 3 BO chicks in the brooder, not sure what the sexes are. My inexpert guess at 3 weeks is that I've got two pullets and one cockerel in there. If I got 3-4 eggs... Bah. Chicken math.
I am welcoming all thoughts and advice right now!
