Broody Hen Thread!

How would I go about reintroducing a broody hen and chicks to the flock? I separated her a few days after she went broody so the other chickens wouldn't bother her or lay more eggs in her nest.

Our broodies tend to have minimal flock interaction when they are setting also, just happens that way... since when they get out for their daily most of the flock is out free ranging. For 're-introducing' we generally allow the broody and new chicks to be in an area of the run or coop which is only separated by hardware cloth or chicken wire for a few days, then the barrier is removed and mama can range where she wants with the chicks. Since our flock is broody friendly we worry even less and a few of our experienced broodies hatch where ever they want and are free within the coop/flock from day one...
Since the weather is nice and the flock is out and about most of the time the interactions between broody and flock are actually short term and everyone has room to retreat if there is a conflict. We don't interfere really... they seem to work it out on their own pretty quickly. The key is making sure there is room to retreat and enough food and water sources to avoid conflicts.
Generally the older flock members will 'check out' the broody and her new crew from a distance, then approach for a closer look but not get pushy about it, within a few days to a week you rarely even notice any posturing anymore.
If your flock is new to broodies and chicks then you will need to make sure that early interactions are closely monitored to see if there are any aggressive flock members you need to intervene with. A peck here and there is to be expected... since the little ones need to learn to follow the rules just like the rest of the flock and are subject to pecking order issues also... it is active stalking and/or unrelenting aggression which needs immediate intervention. Mama will take care of much of the protection, but may need some back up if she is inexperienced, smaller then the rest of the hens or really low on the pecking order.
 
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I went out to fill up my water for my broody and she has a CHICK! I was thinking it would be at least another 6 days before the first hatched. My time sense must be wayyyyy off. Should have wrote it on the calender. That means the other eggs should hatch in 4 to 5 days. She apparently ate the shell. It is a little charcoal colored chick, probably a blue. All dry and chipper. Boy was she thirsty though (Momma). She drank and drank. I swear though I thought she was sitting on 7 eggs and I still count 7 eggs. Could she be laying again already. Being in the dog kennel it could only be her eggs. Or I miscounted. Probably should mark the eggs.
 
Well a few months later and my hen who was bloody for.less than 72hrs at the beginning of the Easter hatch along...is broody again...day #5!!!! She is raising feathers, hissing, and pecking this time!!! Funny thing we actually hatched one.of.her eggs the other day...Wish the timing.was better. Hopefully she stays on them this time. She would make a great mom!
 
Quote: 1. Well, I have 15 hens - 13 are laying, 1 just hatched a batch, 1 has retired herself from laying -- she's into her 5th yr and I haven't seen her on a nest this summer. Then there are 2 batches of chicks.... well, now 3 batches. One batch of 4 pullets at almost a full 4 months old. Not laying yet but in with the general population as of this week - they are the "teenage foursome". Batch # 2 has 4 more pullets that are almost a full 3 months old. They are in a chicken tractor and not ready to be integrated with the others although they free range with the big girls. They just need more size on them before I will put them in the coop/run. Then there is the new batch of 6. I don't know if those are girls or boys yet. And I won't keep the boys. So the simple answer is I have 29 chickens. The complicated answer is all that other stuff.

2. Not so far. As soon as this one (Ellie Mae) went to sticking to that nest, I found some fertile eggs from a friend and put them under her. Never have done that before. If anymore go broody they just have to wait it out cause my coop can't take any more birds.

I don't know how I did this to myself. I swore I was not buying any chicks this year. Every year since I started this, I have bought 4-6 chicks and added to my flock. Usually some of those chicks are Roos and I won't keep a Roo - I live in the city limits. So sometimes I actually add as many as 5 and as few as 2. I said not this year. But then I went and practically doubled my flock.

AND I have 2 pekin ducks that rule the roost. They were raised with the chickens and think they are chickens. I put them in the pond and they come right out. Silly girls! They stick close to the chickens and actually act like a rooster in that they herd the girls and make sure they all get in at night before they go in. I love the pekin ducks!

On top of that, we have probably a couple of hundreds of thousands of bees. We are beekeepers.

3 dogs...

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.....
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@sab chicken math at its best! !!! I have 6...5hens &a roo about a year old now. Then hatched 2 of their babies and lost one...so picked up 2 more to be with the chick...then as they were a mo old got 3 1wks olds plus a dz hatching eggs...hatched 10...7 survived...all while we added a few more of our own eggs in...so now have 22 plus a broody hen...oh...and 15 in the bator! !!! How does this happen!!!????
 
@quailtrail LOL!! What a hoot! You're math is worse than mine! Never ask in the spring how many chickens I have.... ask in the fall.... At least the number stays consistent through the winter!! Enjoy your...22+ more or less chickadees!!
 

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