Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[Fentress]

Yeah, that would be problem, especially in your first season,when you only have a few to work with.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I moved 12 four day old chicks out to a broody hen this evening. Miranda has been sitting on a smooth rock for the past two weeks in the corner of the hen house. Earlier in the evening, I set up a cage around her, placed food and water. She never moved from her rock. After dark, I simply slid the chicks under her wings and behind her rear in the corner.
She puffed up at me and tried to peck my hand but once the she could feel the first few chicks squirming under her wing, she was tucking them back, purring to the babies. She would peck at me as I brought down each handful of chicks not the babies.
Miranda is a great mom and is another Cochin Wyandotte cross like Mandy.. She is bigger and if all goes well with this first bunch, I have 12 more chicks in the brooder I will give her.

Cochin/Wyandotte hu? Sounds like a winning combo! I wonder... can you make them go broody by leaving eggs in the nest?

This year, I have more broodies than I know what to do with in my Andalusians. I have two that went broody at the same time, had to build them a large nest box after several days and moved all the eggs they had with them to that box and moved them at night. They had something like 20 or so eggs between them. After a week, I candled and 11 were viable so I left those and the broodies in their box. The night after the first hatched, I moved the nest box to a larger area so they could raise the chicks.

Less than a week later, I had to split them up because one of them kept getting after the other for being in her space.

Now, I have 3 more broodies that are currently setting on a large number of eggs. In a few days I will candle what they have. I had to build them a nest that I could remove from the main area. I need to move some birds around so I have places to put all these broodies with chicks.

I'm thinking about specifically making some broody coops/runs... that would take care of the entire issue!

Oh, and I still have the one mixed breed broody out on eggs. She had a little more than a week to go. I need to candle her eggs again and see how close they are so I can get ready to move her.

My work load is really getting backed up because I have so many things going that it makes my head spin! I need help!

 

[DesertChic]

I was reading all those wonderful posts today about people's broody hens, feeling a bit envious over never having experienced one myself...and BAM! When I went to collect eggs this afternoon I found my Silkie pullet STILL sitting on her egg from this morning. That's five hours straight sitting for her...not her typical behavior. I guess maybe I got my broody hen?

 

[Lacy Blues]

Does anybody have a broody set up they wouldn't mind sharing pics of?

I'm trying to think of how I might do it. Best for me would be about 42 inches off the ground. Not good for chicks though. I need ideas.

 

[chickadoodles]

Does anybody have a broody set up they wouldn't mind sharing pics of?

I'm trying to think of how I might do it. Best for me would be about 42 inches off the ground. Not good for chicks though. I need ideas.

I don't have a pic tonight, I will get one in the morning. I have some pens that I put some chicken wire around the bottom of the pens to keep the chicks in. This wire I bought at our hardware store it is 12" and the roll is probably 50' or more. I had to put some around my grow out pens and a pen that I put a broody hen in last year to let her brood some chicks. So I have three pens and one is 6'x12' for turkey and the other two are 6'x6' for chicks to grow out before I put them in the coop or sell them. I used zip ties to hold the chicken wire to my 2"x4" welded wire for my pens. It works great. The chicks can't get out and the mom teaches them to forage.





The pallets are for the chicks to keep warm in the hay and out of the water when it rains.
The older chicks can roost. My older turkey poult brooded over 20 chicks and loved it!

These are two grow out pens divided by wire but the wire between all my pens can be rolled up and removed or opened to make larger or smaller pens.

I hope this will help some.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Thank you Chickadoodles.

Update on my mixed breed broody... the chicks have hatched! I collect eggs in the evening and I checked the egg box tonight and low and behold she has chicks!

I wondered when I collected eggs last night as she was growling. Before that, she was completely quiet. I'll try to get pics!

 

[Beekissed]

I just have nests right on the ground in my spare pen and I even had to resort to a cardboard box for my third broody.

The nests I have are made from totes...I had removed them from my coop when I revamped this past summer, so I just moved them to the broody pen. The totes had lids that locked on, so I had cut entry ways in the lids, turned them on their sides and had made outside access through the bottom of the totes. These make nice big nests for large hens and the additional babies.



And the old stand-by...the cardboard box nest.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Thanks Bee.

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you Chickadoodles.

Update on my mixed breed broody... the chicks have hatched! I collect eggs in the evening and I checked the egg box tonight and low and behold she has chicks!

I wondered when I collected eggs last night as she was growling. Before that, she was completely quiet. I'll try to get pics!

Congratulations!!!!

for chicks!!! Can't wait to see the pics.

 

[chickadoodles]

Congrats Lacy on your chicks!

Your welcome. I don't have the best set up for chicks but it worked with the pens I already had.