Broody Hen Thread!

[svfarm]

I have a mixed flock of chickens and ducks. Right now I have my broody and her chicks in a separate area. The chicks won't be moved to the coop until they are much bigger. When can the chicks and hen be separated?

 

[chicksurreal]

After many weeks and a couple of failed attempts to hatch eggs Esther, another of my Dark Cornish broody girls has finally managed to hatch a couple of chicks, they're less than 24 hours old right now. She's SO happy.

She stepped out to do her business, so I took a picture of her chicks. Somebody is a bit camera-shy.

 

[chicksurreal]

I have a mixed flock of chickens and ducks. Right now I have my broody and her chicks in a separate area. The chicks won't be moved to the coop until they are much bigger. When can the chicks and hen be separated?

I let the hen determine when she wants to go back to the main flock, but I think after the chicks are feathered out they should be okay to be without her, especially in warmer temps. 4-6 weeks?

 

[phryan]

My second attempt went much better than the first. This little guy/gal hatched sometime late this morning, there is another that has its beak out. No sign of activity in the other 8. The hen wasn't happy to happy with me, either because she didn't appreciate me poking around or because she didn't get the normal treat afterward.



As a bonus one of the other hens seems to be getting a bit broody, has taken possession of a nest and is quite vocal when others get close.

 

[AmyP716]

Just wanted to share a pic of my broody silkie, Sophia and her newly hatched peachick. She hatched two for me today.

 

[svfarm]

I let the hen determine when she wants to go back to the main flock, but I think after the chicks are feathered out they should be okay to be without her, especially in warmer temps. 4-6 weeks?

She's already very upset. She's still taking care of her chicks but she misses the flock. I had to remove my other broody after she took a chunk out of one of the older chicks. She's in a pen next to my chicks I hatched in may but she's still upset.

 

[chicksurreal]

She's already very upset. She's still taking care of her chicks but she misses the flock. I had to remove my other broody after she took a chunk out of one of the older chicks. She's in a pen next to my chicks I hatched in may but she's still upset.

I'm sorry, I didn't see how old your chicks are. Are they old enough to be on their own or would you have to set up a brooder for them?

Sometimes we don't get a choice about when the hen decides to let the chicks go on their own. If you're seeing signs of serious aggression from the broody to her chicks, it's better to let her go back to the flock and take over the care of the chicks yourself.

My broody pens are separated from the rest of the flock by a fence and I can tell when the hen is done with being a mamma and wants to go back with the flock, she usually runs along the fence during the day instead of caring for the chicks. After a few days of this, I send her back to the general population. I've not had this happen before the chicks were fully feathered though.

 

[svfarm]

I had two go broody at about the same time. The oldest and youngest chicks are about two weeks apart. They hatched them out together. And when I moved them to a larger pen with some slightly older chicks, the one hen was very upset and mistook one of her chicks for one of the older ones.
Since there's a bit of an age difference and there are 11 chicks, I have a heat lamp in one corner.

 

[chicksurreal]

I had two go broody at about the same time. The oldest and youngest chicks are about two weeks apart. They hatched them out together. And when I moved them to a larger pen with some slightly older chicks, the one hen was very upset and mistook one of her chicks for one of the older ones.
Since there's a bit of an age difference and there are 11 chicks, I have a heat lamp in one corner.

It should be fine then. As long as you have a heat source, food and water for the chicks, they don't really need a mamma hen. Hopefully she hangs in there, it's much easier that way.

 

[svfarm]

I just checked on everyone. She has half the chicks peeking out from under her and half hanging out on the milk crates under the heat lamp. It's a good thing that she's a big hen- more room for chicks.