My 2 day old Americauna's were looking great that I hatched in the incubator and active so I put them out with my bantam cochin hens who have some 3 week old Americauna chicks. There are now 4 older and 4 younger chicks. They're great this morning and the bigger chicks were bringing the little guys to the waterer and they were all drinking and eating together. These two hens are quite the team. They will take anything I put under them as their own at any stage. I turned the rest of the hens out and kept the 2 momma hens with the chicks in the coop and I'll do that the first week then they can go out with the others in the day. I've found with these two hens that they will go back to being broody all summer if they have no babies and if they have chicks they will raise them till they are grown and bigger than the little hens can cover. Last winter, they wouldn't go to roost but sat on the ground instead with their giant babies covered as well as they could. They finally roosted once the young chicks started going up on the roost.
Last summer I tried everything and never did keep Pansy from going to a nest to set, eggs or no eggs. I tried putting her in a cage in the garage for 2 weeks and the moment she was set free, off to the coop and nest boxes she went and she was miserable until the whole time she was caged and refused to eat. Betty Boop isn't as bad but will do anything Pansy does so she was miserable too.
Anyway, my solution has been to let them set and hatch 4 between them. They do everything together, setting and raising the same chicks. At intervals, I set the next hatch in the incubator. Those chicks are added to the group after they are 2 or 3 days old. By the time the next hatch of 4 or 5 are ready to go out, I can remove the first chicks as they are feathered out and ready to be separated. I pen them for a week or two until they are ready to turn out with the rest and they get spoiled during that time. so they know me as the new mom.
So, Pansy and Betty Boop stay fat, happy and healthy all summer. They will get to raise babies all they want and it's healthier for them. Rather than being broody and wanting to set and not eat, they are working hard, eating and drinking a lot while teaching each new brood and they seem happier than ever. The chicks seem to like it too and the little guys are accepted into the flock so easily that way too.
God Bless the little broody bantams
Last summer I tried everything and never did keep Pansy from going to a nest to set, eggs or no eggs. I tried putting her in a cage in the garage for 2 weeks and the moment she was set free, off to the coop and nest boxes she went and she was miserable until the whole time she was caged and refused to eat. Betty Boop isn't as bad but will do anything Pansy does so she was miserable too.
Anyway, my solution has been to let them set and hatch 4 between them. They do everything together, setting and raising the same chicks. At intervals, I set the next hatch in the incubator. Those chicks are added to the group after they are 2 or 3 days old. By the time the next hatch of 4 or 5 are ready to go out, I can remove the first chicks as they are feathered out and ready to be separated. I pen them for a week or two until they are ready to turn out with the rest and they get spoiled during that time. so they know me as the new mom.
So, Pansy and Betty Boop stay fat, happy and healthy all summer. They will get to raise babies all they want and it's healthier for them. Rather than being broody and wanting to set and not eat, they are working hard, eating and drinking a lot while teaching each new brood and they seem happier than ever. The chicks seem to like it too and the little guys are accepted into the flock so easily that way too.
God Bless the little broody bantams
