Broody hen or chick setup?

[mrspower]

I have a broody wyandotte and want to add 3 chickens to our flock. We are debating whether or not to give broody some chicks, vs just raising the 3 chicks in our normal chick setup. I'm worried she will attack the chicks, but I don't know how common that is.

Would I still need to separate the chicks at some point? As I understand it, we either need to 'break' our broody or give her chicks.

Oh and our hens are only about 10 months old, and we have 6 (2 silver laced wyandottes, 2 buff orps, 2 australorps).

Help?

 

[Judy]

Those are the two simplest ways to deal with a broody. Lots of people have put chicks that are a couple of days old under a broody, successfully. If she is truly broody, that is if she has been on the nest 24/7 for a few days and nights, growls at you, etc., I thinkthe chances are very good that it will work. It's best done at night, just after dark, so she has the night to get adjusted to it. I've done it successfully once or twice, and once it didn't work (but I put the chicks under her in the morning.) I found the chicks hiding in corners of the coop, uninjured by either the broody or the other hens. Of course, I hadn't been gone a very long time.

There are articles in the Learning center about how to break a broody. It's better for their health if they aren[t going to have chicks to raise, to break them, and get tham active and eating a normal amount of food again. But broody raised chicks are arguably healthier and better foragers than those we raise. Personaly, I'll take a broody mama any time, and take my chances.

 

[mrspower]

Well, it's my first broody, so I have no idea really. She's been on the nest day and night for 8 days. She's not growling but she'll peck at you if you get too close. She will talk to you if you talk to her, but she's not super aggressive. But sitting sitting sitting all day, and pecking at you if she can.

If I put chicks under her and it goes well, will I still need to separate them from the rest of the flock at some point? They are in an enclosed coop and run, but it's quite big. It's 'rated' for up to 12 hens, I believe, and with the 3 chicks it will be 9 (I had 9 but 3 were roos, hence wanting a few more).

 

[red horse ranch]

Well, it's my first broody, so I have no idea really. She's been on the nest day and night for 8 days. She's not growling but she'll peck at you if you get too close. She will talk to you if you talk to her, but she's not super aggressive. But sitting sitting sitting all day, and pecking at you if she can.

If I put chicks under her and it goes well, will I still need to separate them from the rest of the flock at some point? They are in an enclosed coop and run, but it's quite big. It's 'rated' for up to 12 hens, I believe, and with the 3 chicks it will be 9 (I had 9 but 3 were roos, hence wanting a few more).

I find it easier to raise the chicks myself but then you have the integration issue when they are old enough to join the flock. I have a brood hen with 2 four week old chicks and I am letting her rejoin the flock with them. I'm not worried about the other chickens hurting the little ones because she aggressively protects them. But keeping her in a separate pen until they are old enough is a pain. And I have 5 other hens brooding eggs right now. I don't think I have enough separate pens for all of them!

Evidently you don't have fertile eggs for her to brood. Is there any chance you could get them from someone? But buying female chicks might be the easiest way for you to increase your flock without getting a lot more roosters.

 

[mrspower]

No fertile eggs (well not handy anyway, lol), and I'm afraid that since she's been sitting for a week she might not sit long enough? Given its her first go round I don't know what she's going to do. I'm also so afraid she's going to attack her chicks but I don't have any reason to think that, other than just not really having the constitution for that sort of discovery.

I will buy a tractor for mama and babies but yeah, I'm screwed if I get another broody b/c I have no extra space! The issue is that I'll have to buy a separate pen for the chicks AND a separate 'broody breaker' if I don't put them under her. But I might have to do that anyway if I get more broodies.

I have also been told mama rejects them around 6 weeks and they might have to be separated then anyway, is that the case?

 

[red horse ranch]

No fertile eggs (well not handy anyway, lol), and I'm afraid that since she's been sitting for a week she might not sit long enough? Given its her first go round I don't know what she's going to do. I'm also so afraid she's going to attack her chicks but I don't have any reason to think that, other than just not really having the constitution for that sort of discovery.

I will buy a tractor for mama and babies but yeah, I'm screwed if I get another broody b/c I have no extra space! The issue is that I'll have to buy a separate pen for the chicks AND a separate 'broody breaker' if I don't put them under her. But I might have to do that anyway if I get more broodies.

I have also been told mama rejects them around 6 weeks and they might have to be separated then anyway, is that the case?

I've had several chicken hens hatch guinea eggs which take 28 days. So a hen will stay on the nest until the eggs hatch or you break her from being broody.
I've had one hen who stayed with her babies for 7 weeks until I sold them. Two other hens never did reject their babies and still hang around with them years later. But most of my brood hens will quit when the babies are 4 to 6 weeks old. And it makes a difference whether she has daughters or sons. Some hens will reject the boys but keep the girls with her.

 

[goldfinches]

I don't think I've ever had to take chicks at 6 weeks after being abandoned, but maybe I just have good broodies? I don't separate mine from the rest of the flock, either. You have quite a few roosters for that size flock, though, you might have to do something about them.

I don't love using broodies because the chicks are a bit more wild vs. those I raise myself. I love that they think I'm their mama. But, it's much easier to let a hen raise them...