Broody raising chicks with different flock?

[ChickenGirl555]

I have a question. My Buff Orpington, Nugget, went broody for her second time this summer. I am almost finished building a huge 20’ x 30’ run for my 8 other chickens whom are separated into two different flocks. 3 Polish, and then 5 other hens that Nugget lives with. I don’t think the chicks would be safe around the flock of hens, they seem to try to kill every chick I show them. So I was thinking about moving Nugget and her chicks into the polish coop. The polish are still pullets and cockerels, and don’t seem very aggressive. I think under Nugget’s protection they wouldn’t get hurt a lot or at all with the polish. But my concerns with this are, will Nugget become deserted by her flock, and have to be reintegrated? Should I keep her in touch with her flock members during her “private mama time”?

I don’t have many other options than to risk the chicks being killed with my standard flock. What should I do? I only have two coops, one for the polish, one for the hens. There are 2 cockerel Polish, and one unusually small pullet.

 

[HuskerHens18]

Can you put her in a fenced off area with her usual flock? So they can see, but not touch her and the babies?

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Can you put her in a fenced off area with her usual flock? So they can see, but not touch her and the babies?

Well I think I might lock the polish out of the coop (with food and water available to them) during the day and then at night they would sleep together as two flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you separate her, they will forget her, and she will become a stranger to the flock. People often separate the broody with the best of intentions to keep the layers from bothering her. Then they keep them separate until about 4 weeks, and reintroduce the broody and the chicks. The broody is under attack as a stranger to the flock, and the chicks are on their own, as by 4 weeks, the broody hormone is nearly gone.

In my experience, once a day she gets off the nest, (every other day I make sure she has gotten off) and goes out to the run and whips butt. She stomps around, growls at everyone else, and they ALL GIVE HER A LOT of room. I think that sets the tone for when the chicks come. If she acts like this, I would not worry over much about it.

If you can just separate her the last day, get the chicks hatched and dry, and mobile... she will manage it most of the time.

Mrs K

 

[igorsMistress]

There's a difference between showing your flock chicks and a broody raising chicks with her flock.

When I introduced chicks without a broody they were in a separate coop and run that the elders saw every day for a month. When I let everyone mingle there was some mild pecking but nothing serious and everyone settled nicely.

My broody has been with her flock the whole time. They saw her with chicks in the nest for a couple days before she brought them out, and everyone seems to be curious and visits often but not aggressive.

My experiences for what they're worth. Good luck!