Broody Hen close to hatching… help

[mandymcg05]

Hey guys! I’m proud to announce I have TWO broody hens. And boy are they in it for the long haul! I have two issues (maybe) and need your advice.

1. They are both in laying boxes that are higher off the ground. Should I move them to a crate in the coop on the ground until after hatching?

2. Once hatched, which should be any day now, should I keep mom and babies with whole flock in run? If so I’m worried about having two ducks with them? I do work part time so there will be time I won’t be home to monitor them. So maybe keep them separate while I’m gone?

Any help would be appreciated! IM. SO. EXCITED!!

 

[igorsMistress]

Hey guys! I’m proud to announce I have TWO broody hens. And boy are they in it for the long haul! I have two issues (maybe) and need your advice.

1. They are both in laying boxes that are higher off the ground. Should I move them to a crate in the coop on the ground until after hatching?

2. Once hatched, which should be any day now, should I keep mom and babies with whole flock in run? If so I’m worried about having two ducks with them? I do work part time so there will be time I won’t be home to monitor them. So maybe keep them separate while I’m gone?

Any help would be appreciated! IM. SO. EXCITED!!

Congratulations! It’s always fun to watch a broody and her babies!

1. Do not move them. Do have a soft landing spot under the nest boxes for the babies when they jump out, and have nests on the floor where moms can stay with the babies. Once she’s done hatching she’ll coax the babies out of the nest she hatched in.

2. I haven’t ever kept my broodies and babies separated from the flock. I feed an all flock pellet so I ground that up small enough for the babies and didn’t have to try to keep their feed separate. Mamas do a good job of protecting their babies and the rest of the flock should be fine since mom is part of the crew. There will others who separate and may have had a different experience. I say it’s up to you.

 

[mandymcg05]

So the boxes are a few feet off the ground. There’s a good 3-4 inches worth of hay as the flooring. But I’m still afraid it’s too far up. I was thinking I could set up a crate on the floor and move her like a day or two after hatching so they can walk in and out of the crate in the coop.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

Congratulations! It’s always fun to watch a broody and her babies!

1. Do not move them. Do have a soft landing spot under the nest boxes for the babies when they jump out, and have nests on the floor where moms can stay with the babies. Once she’s done hatching she’ll coax the babies out of the nest she hatched in.

2. I haven’t ever kept my broodies and babies separated from the flock. I feed an all flock pellet so I ground that up small enough for the babies and didn’t have to try to keep their feed separate. Mamas do a good job of protecting their babies and the rest of the flock should be fine since mom is part of the crew. There will others who separate and may have had a different experience. I say it’s up to you.

I do the same except I feed the whole flock chick starter. My nest boxes are at floor level already and have removable dividers, so momma and Chicklets come and go as they please and have plenty of room. The biggest obstacle is the ramp from the run into the coop. It usually takes a few days for the babies to figure out how to walk up the ramp. I just hang out with them for a little longer at open and close to make sure they all get inside safely.

Once they figure it out, they’re fine. Plus, I keep a flat panel brooder inside the coop for when momma wants time away from the Chicklets. They don’t use it often, but I leave it in the coop for a couple weeks anyway.

I also have one that I can set up in the run when the weather is cool so they can duck under it to warm up.

 

[mandymcg05]

I do the same except I feed the whole flock chick starter. My nest boxes are at floor level already and have removable dividers, so momma and Chicklets come and go as they please and have plenty of room. The biggest obstacle is the ramp from the run into the coop. It usually takes a few days for the babies to figure out how to walk up the ramp. I just hang out with them for a little longer at open and close to make sure they all get inside safely.

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Once they figure it out, they’re fine. Plus, I keep a flat panel brooder inside the coop for when momma wants time away from the Chicklets. They don’t use it often, but I leave it in the coop for a couple weeks anyway.

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I also have one that I can set up in the run when the weather is cool so they can duck under it to warm up.

So cute. I’m thinking of the heat late. It gets pretty warm in our coop in the daytime though but stays cool at night.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

So cute. I’m thinking of the heat late. It gets pretty warm in our coop in the daytime though but stays cool at night.

They did use it quite a lot because we had a cold snap right after I shoved them under my broody cochin’s hot fanny. The temp dropped to around sixty for the high, so when she was moving around, the Chicklets would run under the brooder plate.