nparks
Chirping
- Jul 29, 2016
- 66
- 42
- 96
I had a broody hen hatch 6 babies about 2.5 weeks ago. They are all mixed breeds, doing well!
I got the eggs from a local farmer she had a mix of Lavender oprtingtons, welssumers, americaunas,
Silver and gold laces wyandottes, cochins, marans, etc.
And two roosters: Jersey Giant and Jubilee orpington
So, being somewhat inexperienced, I have no clue what I ended up with but that's fine by me! However, if I did the feather sexing correctly, I have 5 roosters and only 1 pullet, which is a sight bummer!
I have a couple of questions:
I kept momma and the babies separate in a large dog crate since she became broody. Over the last week they have been free ranging with the other hens. I have five 1.5 year old BOs. They don't seem phased by the babies at all. That being said, I'm ready to get rid of the dog crate and integrate them into the large coop. How should I go about doing that?
Do I just take out the crate and hope momma realizes to go into the coop tonight? And that the chicks can get up the ramp into the coop? Will they figure out a place to sleep? Should I add an extra roost for them?
At what age can I be certain of the sex?
How long can I keep multiple roosters together before fights start happening? I only plan on keeping one rooster and putting the rest in the freezer.
At what age can the roosters be culled for meat? Any tips on this would be appreciated! We have only had chickens for year and a half and have not gone through this process yet.
Any other insight would be great! I have loved watching my broody hen raise these babies! I can't wait to do it again!
I got the eggs from a local farmer she had a mix of Lavender oprtingtons, welssumers, americaunas,
Silver and gold laces wyandottes, cochins, marans, etc.
And two roosters: Jersey Giant and Jubilee orpington
So, being somewhat inexperienced, I have no clue what I ended up with but that's fine by me! However, if I did the feather sexing correctly, I have 5 roosters and only 1 pullet, which is a sight bummer!
I have a couple of questions:
I kept momma and the babies separate in a large dog crate since she became broody. Over the last week they have been free ranging with the other hens. I have five 1.5 year old BOs. They don't seem phased by the babies at all. That being said, I'm ready to get rid of the dog crate and integrate them into the large coop. How should I go about doing that?
Do I just take out the crate and hope momma realizes to go into the coop tonight? And that the chicks can get up the ramp into the coop? Will they figure out a place to sleep? Should I add an extra roost for them?
At what age can I be certain of the sex?
How long can I keep multiple roosters together before fights start happening? I only plan on keeping one rooster and putting the rest in the freezer.
At what age can the roosters be culled for meat? Any tips on this would be appreciated! We have only had chickens for year and a half and have not gone through this process yet.
Any other insight would be great! I have loved watching my broody hen raise these babies! I can't wait to do it again!