Hatching with broody - will other hens/rooster kill chicks?

[Michelle Shiflet]

I have hatched one other time with my broody Buff Orpington named "Honeysuckle". At that time I also purchased a few chicks from the feed store and she wanted nothing to do with them so I took her chicks away and raised them in the brooder with the bought ones. This time, I'm considering leaving the chicks in with Honeysuckle as I won't buy any from the feed store this time! Will the other hens and the rooster attack the baby chicks or will the mom protect them? She guards her eggs very well and rarely leaves them. I don't want to deal with the brooder. I do not have a separate area for Honeysuckle and her babies to hang out.
Thanks for your help!

 

[elieugene6]

I can't say how your flock behaves but with mine I had to keep my broody and her babies separate due to my roos. She will try to protect them but she may not be able to if everyone gangs up on them. If your roo is full grown and well behaved and she hasn't been separated this whole time you might be able to, but if you do decide to try I would keep a close eye and be ready to jump in if need be. Me personally I wouldn't even chance it. Good luck!!!!

 

[detali]

I let Momma hen and her chicks out with the flock when they were only a few days old. Everything seemed fine until one day one was missing. I found it dead in the big fenced in chicken pasture. I think it was one of my hens which was always fighting with the momma that did it. Since then,
I have made fenced off areas where momma and the little ones can hang out away from the flock until they are able to fend for themselves.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

It all depends on how high up the pecking order mama hen is. I have had great success with my more confident hens. My lower rung girls seem to have trouble keeping their babies safe. I have learned to just keep an eye on them and seperate them at the first sign of trouble.

Good luck!

 

[cletus the rooster]

we have had no problems with momma raising the babies with the rest of her flock.the buff o's seem to be very good around the babies,even the rooster.i went to catch a baby and it ran and hid under the rooster's wing

 

[Godsgrl]

I've had good experiences with roosters around new chicks. I worried at first, but found they generally leave the chicks alone, except when they find food. Then they call the babies over, and it's so cute. You might want to keep an eye on the other hens, but most should leave the chicks alone, as they know broody momma will tear them apart if they look at the chicks wrong. Good luck!

 

[triggfamily5]

I just did my first hatch with a broody intermingled with my flock. She is a very confident broody, never gave her nest up and was always protective of it. Her and the chicks are doing great!!!

With one exception... I had another broody at the same time who wasn't as confident and protective, so I separated her (same coop, just penned with chicken wire) and when she started hatching she was killing the babies as they pipped so I took her eggs, gave it to the other one hatching at the same time and have been "unbrooding" her. As of right now, she is separated as she is fighting with the mother taking care of the babies...

 

[BeccaB00]

It depends. Last batch of chicks we had got beat to death by the other chickens. Only 1 lived and he had a broken leg and an injured wing. If you want, you can try it. but be ready to jump in if needed.

This batch of chicks we have now are in a seperate pen with mommy.

 

[Kittymomma]

For me it has depended on the hen. My Bo who is the head honcho does fine, nobody else dares trying to lay an egg in her box when she is sitting on eggs and when her chicks hatch she keeps them in the coop for a couple of days, then the coop and run, and finally when they are a week or so old and well bonded she'll take them out free ranging. With the lower ranking hens I have problems with others pushing themselves on top of them and laying more eggs in the nest box and they also tend to take the chicks out and about too early, I think to get some distance from the rest of the flock. I've had some losses when the chicks get seperated from mom so now I put the less dominent broodys into a dog kennel until the chicks are a week or so old and then they go out with the main flock.

 

[pgpoultry]

It is very difficult to generalise.

I have no problems with integration of chicks with adult hens and roosters at any age (I keep Brahmas mainly). Some chickens can be very aggressive to young chicks and even kill them.

It is best to work out the dynamics of your own birds an carefully monitor any introductions,

Good Luck,

sandie