Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

This may have been addressed, but what if there's only one chick that hatched? Does an "only child" have special needs or dangers I should be aware of?
We had two fertile eggs but one was broken, so there's just one live chick this morning after 21 days of "Emma" sitting on it. Do I need a brooder box with access for Emma? Will the other hens be nice to the baby chick? Should I separate mama and baby from the rest?
I appreciate any and all suggestions!

My suggestion would be.... move mama and chick to the floor box...if you reach under her (carefully) and get ahold of the chick you can move it to the floor box... mama will follow! Trust me! LOL
... but before the move... set the box in a position that allows you to place a barrier of hardware cloth around the box, including a few square feet of floor space, a corner away from the pop door would work well. With broody and chick in the box you can place food and water within the fencing area for the first few days. This will allow mama and chick to bond and for the young one to learn to respond to her vocal cues. It will also allow the other 2 hens to become familiar with the sight (and sound) of the chick.

After about 2 days, maybe 3... you can take down the wire barrier and allow mama and chick to roam within the coop and run as mama sees fit. The thing you will need to watch for is excessive aggression from another hen (make sure there are multiple food and water sources to help reduce resources being a source of conflict) and you will also need to provide a safe box on the ground in the run if there is a ramp which needs navigated. Chicks are often good going down, but not so much with getting back up the first week. A box in the run will give mama hen somewhere sheltered and dry to rest with the chick if it gets cold, windy or rains when they are outside. Make sure you check each day that the little one made it back up the ramp and assist as needed.

After this first broody experience you will have a much better idea of how your flock responds to little ones and hopefully any future broodies can just have a floor nest after hatch with no barriers needed. Some flocks are very broody friendly, but sometimes folks have a flock member or two which just causes a need for more security...

 

[ChickyChickens]

Me and my broody chilling on my bed

I love her soooooo much and her chicks are like my children!!!!!

 

[Heatherschix]

Me and my broody chilling on my bed

I love her soooooo much and her chicks are like my children!!!!!

Sweet...what breed are the chicks?

 

[Hooligans7]

Get them on the ground! Babies are phenomenal for accidentually falling.

I'd like to get them on the floor, but mama gets fierce if I try to move her (or even touch her).
So here's what I did: The nesting box is 18 inches off the coop floor with a step in between (a 2 X 2), so I stuffed the entire area below and above the step with straw. I packed it down at a gentle angle to make a soft, wide "ramp" from the nesting box, past the step, down to the straw-covered floor, all at a gentle angle. There's also a 1-inch lip at the entrance to the nesting box, so baby would have to get over that as well in order to fall into the straw.
Of course, we'll check on mama and baby often in the coming weeks. I imagine Emma would squawk very loudly if baby fell, but I'm sure baby wouldn't get hurt with all that cushioning.
If baby falls into the straw, then that would be an ideal time to relocate their accommodations to the coop floor in a nice, cozy box lying on its side. Thanks for your help!

 

[ChickyChickens]

Sweet...what breed are the chicks?

They are like a barnyard mix. One of them is an EE. There are 4 with feathered legs and the others are normal chicken.
Here where I live you can't really get a breed of chicken it's all more a mix of everything. My roosters are barnyard mixes and one EE!

 

[Hooligans7]

My suggestion would be.... move mama and chick to the floor box...if you reach under her (carefully) and get ahold of the chick you can move it to the floor box... mama will follow! Trust me! LOL
... but before the move... set the box in a position that allows you to place a barrier of hardware cloth around the box, including a few square feet of floor space, a corner away from the pop door would work well. With broody and chick in the box you can place food and water within the fencing area for the first few days. This will allow mama and chick to bond and for the young one to learn to respond to her vocal cues. It will also allow the other 2 hens to become familiar with the sight (and sound) of the chick.

After about 2 days, maybe 3... you can take down the wire barrier and allow mama and chick to roam within the coop and run as mama sees fit. The thing you will need to watch for is excessive aggression from another hen (make sure there are multiple food and water sources to help reduce resources being a source of conflict) and you will also need to provide a safe box on the ground in the run if there is a ramp which needs navigated. Chicks are often good going down, but not so much with getting back up the first week. A box in the run will give mama hen somewhere sheltered and dry to rest with the chick if it gets cold, windy or rains when they are outside. Make sure you check each day that the little one made it back up the ramp and assist as needed.

After this first broody experience you will have a much better idea of how your flock responds to little ones and hopefully any future broodies can just have a floor nest after hatch with no barriers needed. Some flocks are very broody friendly, but sometimes folks have a flock member or two which just causes a need for more security...

I'd like to get them onto the floor, but Mama gets very fierce

when I go near her. I've packed straw — LOTS of straw — at a gentle slope from the nesting box to the floor, so if baby falls, he or she can't get hurt. I sort of hope baby falls into the straw. That way I can relocate their accommodations onto the floor like you've suggested. Thanks!

 

[TiaRC]

I'd like to get them on the floor, but mama gets fierce if I try to move her (or even touch her).
So here's what I did: The nesting box is 18 inches off the coop floor with a step in between (a 2 X 2), so I stuffed the entire area below and above the step with straw. I packed it down at a gentle angle to make a soft, wide "ramp" from the nesting box, past the step, down to the straw-covered floor, all at a gentle angle. There's also a 1-inch lip at the entrance to the nesting box, so baby would have to get over that as well in order to fall into the straw.
Of course, we'll check on mama and baby often in the coming weeks. I imagine Emma would squawk very loudly if baby fell, but I'm sure baby wouldn't get hurt with all that cushioning. 
If baby falls into the straw, then that would be an ideal time to relocate their accommodations to the coop floor in a nice, cozy box lying on its side. Thanks for your help!

Sounds good. Be tentive tho. If baby falls and mama don't get to it in time. Other chickens will try to establish the pecking order and peck at it. Which will cause injury. I had a juvenile peck a 3 day old chick just to get the chick away from her and she killed it with one peck to the head. Poor mama whipped her butt. Then spend the next few hours trying to warm the dying chick that wasn't moving.

 

[Hooligans7]

Sounds good. Be tentive tho. If baby falls and mama don't get to it in time. Other chickens will try to establish the pecking order and peck at it. Which will cause injury. I had a juvenile peck a 3 day old chick just to get the chick away from her and she killed it with one peck to the head. Poor mama whipped her butt. Then spend the next few hours trying to warm the dying chick that wasn't moving.

That's awful. I'd hate to see that. We'll keep a close watch on them. My flock of five hens and one rooster free-ranges all day and only sleeps in the coop at night, so baby isn't exposed to them. And as fierce and protective as Mama is, feathers will fly if anyone dares come close — let alone molest her baby!

 

[Heatherschix]

They are like a barnyard mix. One of them is an EE. There are 4 with feathered legs and the others are normal chicken.
Here where I live you can't really get a breed of chicken it's all more a mix of everything. My roosters are barnyard mixes and one EE!

well the mama is beautiful and looks very attentive to her babies

 

[TiaRC]

That's awful. I'd hate to see that. We'll keep a close watch on them. My flock of five hens and one rooster free-ranges all day and only sleeps in the coop at night, so baby isn't exposed to them. And as fierce and protective as Mama is, feathers will fly if anyone dares come close — let alone molest her baby!  

Ok good. if you have anymore questions don't be afraid to ask! Sounds like you got it from here!