Broody in Michigan Winter?

[Ridgerunner]

I've never seen a rooster do anything like that but I’m seldom out there for the wake-up routine either. When I let them out the older ones rush outside and the younger ones then swarm the feeders, so it’s obvious the others have been keeping them from the feed. That’s whether they are brooder raised or broody raised and weaned but not yet grown.

Did the other adults swarm the feeder? I wonder if the rooster was keeping them away from the other ravenous hens. Interesting stuff, isn’t it?

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

Glad to hear mama integrated them so well. I put mine with her three 4 week olds out in the main coop two days ago. No one except one Golden Comet was even interested, but mama held her ground. My low order Dominique actually came to mom's rescue.

I had mouse issues in January. I think they were getting in the gaps at the roof since it's crimped metal siding. Large gap spray foam seemed to do the trick.

 

[fisherlady]

We have security cameras in the coop, so we get to see a lot of the activity when we aren't there. The little ones feed most frequently inside late in the evening and overnight (when there is any light). They seem to have free range on the floor when the adults go up to roost. It looks like playtime in the schoolyard in the late evening (we currently have 26 chicks from 5 to 9 weeks old in the coop). Once in a while an adult bird will come down off of the roost and settle the youngsters down for a bit but generally they get to play and carry on undisturbed.
When the adult birds are down on the floor the littles rarely get to eat at the feeders for very long before getting pecked by an older bird, though it is usually a hen. We placed multiple feeders out in the run and there are two wall feeders inside. During daylight hours when the hens are in charge in the coop the littles all head outside and use those feeders. I haven't noticed any of our roosters playing food cop but it could easily happen when we weren't watching.

I do know we have been seeing our roosters actively tid bitting the littles and one rooster in particular seems to have become a much liked 'big buddy' to the one group who was recently let go by the broody. It is cute to see a 12 lb rooster being followed around in the yard by a bunch of 6 week old chicks like he's the pied piper! LOL

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do you have light in the coop that allows them to see at night?

 

[aart]

It is all interesting....feeds my natural inclination of observing and analyzing.
I would LOVE to have cameras out there!! Infared, pan-tilt-zoom.....alas, no bucks for those kind of toys, and no signal out here anyway.

No, all the other hens were still up on the roosts....but maybe preemptive?

When I went out later, babes were eating out of the big feeder while rooster just watched.<shrugs>
Might have been a fluke earlier this morning as I have seen him tid bitting the babies and they forage next to/near him all the time with no objection from anyone.

Maybe he wants mama back in action? hehehe
At 7 weeks I've kind of been waiting to see her wean them, they still all cram(and I mean cram) into the nest at night.
Once it warms up some more in the next week I think I'll pull the nest and see what they do.

Light is for winter laying, comes on early morning, I've been ramping it back and misplaced the peg when I changed it yesterday so it didn't come on this morning.

 

[fisherlady]

Do you have light in the coop that allows them to see at night?

We put up a string of the white Christmas rope lights, it isn't much but the Littles seem fine with it. The adults rarely come off of the roosts.

We initially got a dual camera system intended for nursery use and later upgraded to a Q-see system and have an old computer monitor in the house set up as a display. We can check it remotely when not at home but 90% of the time we just enjoy the 'chicken TV' from in the house in the evenings.

 

[fisherlady]

It is all interesting....feeds my natural inclination of observing and analyzing. I would LOVE to have cameras out there!! Infared, pan-tilt-zoom.....alas, no bucks for those kind of toys, and no signal out here anyway. No, all the other hens were still up on the roosts....but maybe preemptive? When I went out later, babes were eating out of the big feeder while rooster just watched. Might have been a fluke earlier this morning as I have seen him tid bitting the babies and they forage next to/near him all the time with no objection from anyone. Maybe he wants mama back in action? hehehe At 7 weeks I've kind of been waiting to see her wean them, they still all cram(and I mean cram) into the nest at night. Once it warms up some more in the next week I think I'll pull the nest and see what they do. Light is for winter laying, comes on early morning, I've been ramping it back and misplaced the peg when I changed it yesterday so it didn't come on this morning.

I would agree that it was probably a preemptive act on the roosters part,the adult flock members are very conscious of protecting the pecking order and flock rules. He may have just been teaching them a bit of a lesson. And yes, it does seem the roosters start getting anxious when the broody is due to return to normal flock life, they probably detect hormone shifts.

 

[aart]

Agrees he was being preemptive, taking them to school so to speak...later in the day I watched him kind of protect the babes.
He was foraging near the chicks and another hen looked like she might go after the chicks and the rooster gave her the evil eye and started to head her off, she changed directions...this all happened very slowly and calmly....again all very interesting to observe.

Another just fun observation...seems the chicks just discovered the one of roosts in the run and they were all hopping up and down and walking along it...it's so much fun watching them grow and progress.

Every day I look at combs and feathering and recalculate pullets to cockerels...still thinking 3 cockerels for sure, 2 pullets and 1 that could go either way. With a cross between a Welsumer sire and an EE mother...could have straight, pea or combo combs. For sure cockerels have distinct 3 row peas that have alot of color, red feathering on the shoulders and even some iridescent green/black on tails. Time will tell.

Took the portable nest box out yesterday as it was going to stay warm last night, late afternoon mama hunkered down in the run with the babes and I thought 'UtOh'. But they all went inside a bit later so I shut the pop door and sat down to watch her figure out where to spend the night, she was mildly irritated but not frantic.

They tried out the partition roost board and that wasn't right(thinking Goldilocks here), she tried the roost itself and wasn't comfortable there either, then she tried the main nest bank so I opened the back access and shooed her away, that ****** her off got her asquawking...lol! She finally hunkered down in the corner under the partition roost board and when I checked after dark they were mostly settled in behind her and a couple next to her.
Will have to keep an eye on that for a few evenings.

 

[aart]

The chicks are looking more like real chickens every day at 8 1/2 weeks......
......I swear they grew 2" taller in the last 3 days, and one is trying to crow and boxing with one of his brothers constantly.

Mama got mated yesterday but is still roosting with the babes.

The adventure continues.......

8 chicks incubator hatched inside last weekend, coop will be re-partitioned for them in a few weeks after some of the oldest girls meet the kettle.

 

[fisherlady]

The chicks are looking more like real chickens every day at 8 1/2 weeks......
......I swear they grew 2" taller in the last 3 days, and one is trying to crow and boxing with one of his brothers constantly.

Mama got mated yesterday but is still roosting with the babes.

The adventure continues.......

8 chicks incubator hatched inside last weekend, coop will be re-partitioned for them in a few weeks after some of the oldest girls meet the kettle.

Maybe it is just my overactive imagination but I swear our broody babies mature earlier. Even if they don't lay eggs earlier they just have a very composed and adult attitude from even early on.