Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

Bertha & Beetlejuice in their broody apartments

the tarp covers them all the way at night & is clamped down
shortly after this photo was taken, I combined the two families! no one seemed to mind, there was no fighting, they didn't even seem to notice. so far, the chicks answer to both the hen's clucking for food.

yesterday was food and water, today seems to be a foraging lesson since they have now destroyed the apartment lol. I removed the cat carrier when I combined them, and there is now straw, sand and dust everywhere



there was definitely some accidental chick kicking/stepping during this wild forraging lesson, scared me!

they have not yet left the little apartment or mingled with the flock. I'm going to wait until they seem restless or like they want to get out

Those Mottled Java babies are to die for...the others are darling too but I heart those little black and white fluffies!

 

[MistyMountain]

Edited to add captions:

Family dust bath time!

Willie Roo sharing treats

This is my new crower. Out of the 9, he is the most magnificent looking… huge comb, waddles, clearly top dog.

 

[MistyMountain]

Last night was a big first for everyone. MJ and the babes went to the school house and are on coop lock down for a couple days. Everyone else moved to the big coop (that's 29 chickens, y'all!!). I did need to move about 14 of the youngsters into the coop from roosting outside last night. They are all on run lock down for a couple days so I can be sure they will all put themselves to bed in the right place.

Opened up the coop this morning and everyone filed out. It seemed like everyone got along well. I didn't count on the way out as I usually do that each night. As I am raking around the moving the outside roost (old wood saw horse) inside the coop so the youngsters have no roost option but in the coop, I notice my tub of sweet pdz (chocolate milk mix container) on the ground between the crate nest box and the other nest tubs. Hmm odd. Must have been a wild night to have knocked that down from on the crate. Wait… what? is that a chicken leg? OH NO! Did someone die?? It was one of my welsummers. Oh man. I reach down to find they broke a hole in the top of the tub and her toe got caught… but wait! she's still alive… oh this can't be good, she was all knotted up and upside down for who knows how long. I unscrew the top and gent'y lift her up. I got her toe unstuck and put her down. A little feather ruffle and she's off to the feeder. Whew. Just a little limp that has all but disappeared now. Wow. my luck has got to improve lol!!

 

[Farmer Viola]

I have two broody bantams now, both in the coop (one with fertile eggs, the other with infertile but I have eggs in an incubator and plan to share).

I really really would love it if these chicks (all from a batch of 11 purchsed bb red oeg hatching eggs) would have two mommas. Should I move their little nests closer together as the day arrives? Right now they are on opposite ends of the small coop, does that matter when it comes to co-raising chicks?

what I did (at the very helpful advice of experienced people in this thread) was kept them separate until after the chicks hatched. They were in each other's sight during their entire hatch though, until I moved them to the side by side 'apartments' (I posted pics on p 232). I combined the two broodies 2 days after hatch and it was seamless, no fighting, and no problems sharing chicks!

 

[Farmer Viola]

Those Mottled Java babies are to die for...the others are darling too but I heart those little black and white fluffies!

oooh thank you thank you! me too

we only got 3 of 6 but I'm happy if there's at least one girl!

today they left the nest/apartment! they started exploring the yard with their moms and found an "island" (aka lawn chair) to safely play under. today's lesson was ... BUGS!!! so many bugs. I watched this one Java eat a giant winged ant, I didn't think it would fit, but it did!

I think I saw one of the wyandotte (brown) chicks limping, I held it and couldn't see any injury, sigh I hope it pulls through. the moms attacked and squawked at anyone who came close to them. I monitored them for an hour or so and then let them be. they will have to do their job without me!

Last night, it was so cute, I will have to bring my camera tonight - but both moms sleep right next to each other, and the chicks go between both of them, sometimes even in between the two hens instead of under them. it's really really sweet to see both hens getting along so well, warms my heart

 

[Farmer Viola]

Edited to add captions:

Family dust bath time!

Willie Roo sharing treats

This is my new crower. Out of the 9, he is the most magnificent looking… huge comb, waddles, clearly top dog.

beautiful! I love gentlemanly roosters like that

 

[tommysgirl]

Last night was a big first for everyone. MJ and the babes went to the school house and are on coop lock down for a couple days. Everyone else moved to the big coop (that's 29 chickens, y'all!!). I did need to move about 14 of the youngsters into the coop from roosting outside last night. They are all on run lock down for a couple days so I can be sure they will all put themselves to bed in the right place.

Opened up the coop this morning and everyone filed out. It seemed like everyone got along well. I didn't count on the way out as I usually do that each night. As I am raking around the moving the outside roost (old wood saw horse) inside the coop so the youngsters have no roost option but in the coop, I notice my tub of sweet pdz (chocolate milk mix container) on the ground between the crate nest box and the other nest tubs. Hmm odd. Must have been a wild night to have knocked that down from on the crate. Wait… what? is that a chicken leg? OH NO! Did someone die?? It was one of my welsummers. Oh man. I reach down to find they broke a hole in the top of the tub and her toe got caught… but wait! she's still alive… oh this can't be good, she was all knotted up and upside down for who knows how long. I unscrew the top and gent'y lift her up. I got her toe unstuck and put her down. A little feather ruffle and she's off to the feeder. Whew. Just a little limp that has all but disappeared now. Wow. my luck has got to improve lol!!

Wow! glad she seem OK also glad that they all seemed to get along fine. Ranging together makes them more inclined to get along. Because of the number of broodies we have had and our space limitations.I have had to move babies and mamas into the big coop sooner than I might have otherwise. But they seem to do just fine after a bit of setting the record straight about who gets to roost where

what I did (at the very helpful advice of experienced people in this thread) was kept them separate until after the chicks hatched. They were in each other's sight during their entire hatch though, until I moved them to the side by side 'apartments' (I posted pics on p 232). I combined the two broodies 2 days after hatch and it was seamless, no fighting, and no problems sharing chicks!

I had the same experience when I combine Gracie Belle and Julie and their babies. The one little yellow Marans chick is way more out going than its siblings and it seems to like hanging out with Gracie Belle's brood more than its own. I am smitten which of course means it's a cockerel.

oooh thank you thank you! me too

we only got 3 of 6 but I'm happy if there's at least one girl!

today they left the nest/apartment! they started exploring the yard with their moms and found an "island" (aka lawn chair) to safely play under. today's lesson was ... BUGS!!! so many bugs. I watched this one Java eat a giant winged ant, I didn't think it would fit, but it did!

I think I saw one of the wyandotte (brown) chicks limping, I held it and couldn't see any injury, sigh I hope it pulls through. the moms attacked and squawked at anyone who came close to them. I monitored them for an hour or so and then let them be. they will have to do their job without me!

Last night, it was so cute, I will have to bring my camera tonight - but both moms sleep right next to each other, and the chicks go between both of them, sometimes even in between the two hens instead of under them. it's really really sweet to see both hens getting along so well, warms my heart

Sweet!

Edited to add captions:

Family dust bath time!

Willie Roo sharing treats

This is my new crower. Out of the 9, he is the most magnificent looking… huge comb, waddles, clearly top dog.

Handsome buy! Will you do me a favor...I know I can see the pics better if I click on them but can you increase the size in your posts...I want to see your beautiful families!

 

[MistyMountain]

Wow! glad she seem OK also glad that they all seemed to get along fine. Ranging together makes them more inclined to get along. Because of the number of broodies we have had and our space limitations.I have had to move babies and mamas into the big coop sooner than I might have otherwise. But they seem to do just fine after a bit of setting the record straight about who gets to roost where


I had the same experience when I combine Gracie Belle and Julie and their babies. The one little yellow Marans chick is way more out going than its siblings and it seems to like hanging out with Gracie Belle's brood more than its own. I am smitten which of course means it's a cockerel.
Sweet!

Handsome buy! Will you do me a favor...I know I can see the pics better if I click on them but can you increase the size in your posts...I want to see your beautiful families!

Let me try this… I know that my phone posts them that big, but let me try to repost and see if they are better.



Looks like it worked!! I wanted to add that the little chickie by MJ's wing is the one we lost. I think it was one of the leghorn crosses.

 

[Pooman]

Also I only kept woods broody penned with the chicks for one day. The next day I opened the door of the crate and she takes those babies all over the yard all day long. The other chickens don't come within 15 feet of her or any of the chicks. That's apparently her striking distance. They won't come to the food if she is there, I mean they all avoid her like the plague. In sadder news one of the chicks I gave her didn't make it. He or she wasn't growing like the rest. Still acted and looked like a brand new hatch, stumbling, tiny, not feathering in. Just followed her and would peep constantly if she wasn't sitting on him. He just wasn't growing and now the other chicks are all over the place, jumping over logs and following mom up the banks. And the little couldn't keep up. So often you would hear really loud peeping and go to check and there that OE would be peeping his face off while mama and the coordinated chicks would be far away scratching in the dirt. Another thing. The proper growing chicks were constantly acting like chickens scratching in the dirt, Or pecking things. Never saw the little scratch or peck. Never saw him eat. Figured I would bring him in so he might have a chance, and the dog stepped on him while trying to investigate what was in the warm box in my room. Might he or she have made it? Maybe... but it didn't peck at the dirt. It would sometimes peck straight in front of it, and it was constantly looking up, he would eat but seemed to have a hard time with even that. He would peck the food then stumble back wards shaking his head. Odd indeed. So I'm figuring most likely he or she wouldn't have made it anyway, but now the world will never know

Sounds like wry neck or stargazing. Google those words

One of my chicks had it, they need extra Vit E (sunflower seeds are packed with it, so have boosted whole flocks ration now)

We crushed some multivitamins and syringed it into the chick. It recovered and went back to normal. We did it twice, a few days after first dose. It was fine after a week.

Youll want to research that a bit more cause my memory is stuffed right now

 

[tommysgirl]

Let me try this… I know that my phone posts them that big, but let me try to repost and see if they are better.



Looks like it worked!! I wanted to add that the little chickie by MJ's wing is the one we lost. I think it was one of the leghorn crosses.

YAY!!!! That's what I am talking about! They are beautiful!