Broody kills the first baby? - please help quickly!!!

[aart]

Now I need another hen to go broody or this one to try again after a small recoup.

Not sure I'd let her hatch again.
Might be time to get an incubator?

 

[Weetamoo93]

Not sure I'd let her hatch again.
Might be time to get an incubator?

I'm budgeting one in. I'd prefer my hens raising the chicks because my overall goal is a fairly self-sufficient flock, but want a backup option for when things go poorly like this. I know it's going to take time getting where I want to be, especially working with a small number of large hatchery stock.

I'm reading up more on how to handle broodies and chicks to be better prepared for the next try.

Edit to add: she's been sitting for four weeks as last Monday (05.10) was my earliest expected hatch.

Edit 2: just checked and the last egg was dead and actually spoiled, likely why she was getting up so much realizing there was nothing alive.

@aart , how long should a hen stay broody? I know incubation is 3 weeks so it seemed natural that she was giving up at 4 weeks. I know she can't brood forever. The only obvious faults I had with her were: a) she didn't take kindly to the first attempt to move her, and my error was not setting new or fake eggs under her for the move and b) she probably attacked the one chick that did hatch. Would that still be enough to rule her out as a brooder?

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Hmmmm. It has
Feather Feet
@Rhodebar Lover

Hmmm, I'm really not sure. OP, are they mixed breed chicks? With it's rose comb it doesn't match many commonly kept purebreds. My best guess if pure is some type of egger

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Hmmm, I'm really not sure. OP, are they mixed breed chicks? With it's rose comb it doesn't match many commonly kept purebreds. My best guess if pure is some type of egger

Two of them are mystery chicks from mypetchicken so I’m not sure what they are. You can already tell that little baby will have a rose comb? That‘s so cool how you can know chickens that well! The other mystery egg I believe is a Blue Easter egger. I will try to take a picture.

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

 

[Auntiejessi3]

View attachment 2676252

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Now I feel quite nervous. I have just set a broody on 6 eggs today. It's her first time with fertile eggs! She has been broody many times before so I'm hoping she'll be a good mama.

Question: does the broody HAVE to be separated from the rest of the flock? Pippin is still in the normal coop because I wanted the chicks to grow up understanding the flock dynamics and pecking order so I don't have to integrate them. I've seen it be done before.

 

[Michelley1001]

Now I feel quite nervous. I have just set a broody on 6 eggs today. It's her first time with fertile eggs! She has been broody many times before so I'm hoping she'll be a good mama.

Question: does the broody HAVE to be separated from the rest of the flock? Pippin is still in the normal coop because I wanted the chicks to grow up understanding the flock dynamics and pecking order so I don't have to integrate them. I've seen it be done before.

I did not separate mine back in March I simply stuck the eggs under her in the nest box of her choosing and pretty much just left her alone. She was a great broody and would get up to eat on her own most days. When the chicks hatched she was a perfect mother. She protected them and showed them how to do everything. Doted on them up until they were about 6 weeks or so. Now she pecks at them to leave her alone if they get too close lol. But she really was a great mama hen. And I’m so glad I did not separate because now I have no integration it was done seamlessly for me! I just made sure to keep a close eye on them after they hatched but she didn’t need my help except to get the babies back in the coop the first couple nights until they learned to navigate the ramp themselves. Good luck!!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I did not separate mine back in March I simply stuck the eggs under her in the nest box of her choosing and pretty much just left her alone. She was a great broody and would get up to eat on her own most days. When the chicks hatched she was a perfect mother. She protected them and showed them how to do everything. Doted on them up until they were about 6 weeks or so. Now she pecks at them to leave her alone if they get too close lol. But she really was a great mama hen. And I’m so glad I did not separate because now I have no integration it was done seamlessly for me! I just made sure to keep a close eye on them after they hatched but she didn’t need my help except to get the babies back in the coop the first couple nights until they learned to navigate the ramp themselves. Good luck!!

Thank you!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Question: does the broody HAVE to be separated from the rest of the flock?

Some people separate them, some don't. There may be something about your circumstances where separating them is a good idea. There may be something where not separating is a good idea. That may be something about your facilities or maybe something about the personality of an individual chicken, the broody or another flock member. We are all different, what works for me might not work for you. Each chicken is different, what works for one hen may not work for another. I can't give you guarantees as to what will happen with your incubation because I don't know.

I let my hens incubate and hatch with the flock and raise their chicks with the flock. When hen goes broody I collect all the eggs I want her to hatch and mark them, making very sure they all start incubation at the same time. Then I check under her every day after the others have finished laying and remove any eggs that don't belong. When she hatches I let her decide when to bring the chicks off of the nest. I have food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can reach them when she brings them off but that's all I do. The hen does the rest. Usually she takes them to the coop floor to spend the night since all the nests are too high for the chicks to get back in. I do check at night to make sure all the chicks are with the hen, if one's not with the hen you will hear it peeping miserably. But I'm down there to lock the pop door anyway.

I have over 3,000 square feet outside and weather so the hen and chicks can be outside all day every day. They may not leave the coop for a few days but once they do the hen keeps them outside all day every day, just bringing them back in the coop to sleep. I have no idea how much room you have, in the coop or outside.

I've never had a problem with the broody hen needing to be reintegrated with the flock. I've never had a broody hen that would not protect her chicks whether the broody was top or bottom in the pecking order. Some people do have problems with those things. I don't know if they isolate a broody or not.

Mt broody hens handle the chicks' integration with the flock. I've had some broody hens wean their chicks as early as 3 weeks old, just leave them to make their own way with the flock. I've had broodies wait more than 2 months to wean their chicks. The chicks do fine, either way. The chicks are still at the bottom of the pecking order and will be until they mature so they don't mix that much with the rest of the flock. They avoid the adults and they do not get hurt. If yours are so crowded that they are shoehorned on top of each other you could easily have a different outcome. We are all different and a lot of these differences come into play.

Good luck!