Help with my broody hen

[Pork Pie]

I have no experience with raising chicks in cold weather (I live in Kenya and we don't do winters here - thank goodness) so i will let others with experience on that subject help. Yes, leave them with the mother, but be aware that she needs to leave the coop to poop, stretch her legs a few times a day. A way of getting around that is to build an "extension" to the coop that you can connect to the mini-coop - that way both the mother and chicks have more space. Just took this pics to give you an idea of what i have:

The part on the right is the mini-coop that i can move around (as well as put in the main coop on a night time) and the other part is actually an isolation coop, laid on its side. Here are the two once disconnected.



The duration that you should keep them in the mini-coop depends on a number of variables, including temperatures and predators. If its cold, then the chicks should not really be outside for too long until they are 4 weeks old (thats about the time when they should be feathered and able to regulate their temperature better). As i say, here in Kenya we don't have that problem, so i let mum take her chicks out on day 2 (but supervised to keep hawks away). They are now 13 days old, and i let them free range as they wish - the mum always brings them back to the mini-coop at 5pm sharp every evening! I am likely to lose a couple of the chicks to predators, but its something i have reconciled (doesn't stop me shouting and swearing for a few minutes when it does happen though!

).

Things may be a little different re: temperatures for you, so i would search for threads on that subject matter for your area. You could also search for threads from BYC members in your area as they are more likely to give you the specific advice that would be best for you.

CT

 

[rebrascora]

Definitely put their mother in with them. The whole purpose of having a broody is to let them do all the work. Teaching them how to eat and drink and dust bath and socialise with other chickens and roost etc is the best part of using a broody as well as keeping them warm of course without the need for a heat lamp and then you get the bonus of "chicken TV" entertainment value.
I would keep them in the cage for a couple of days and then let them out after the other hens have headed off outside on a morning. She will probably spend a day or so in the hen house with them after that before venturing outside, but she will know when they are ready.

You will need to think about what/how you are going to feed the chicks as obviously layers pellets are not what they need. I use medicated chick crumb and I place it in a bottomless cage chocked up off the ground 2-3 inches, so the chicks can duck underneath to get in but the bigger hens can't get to it.... this is after the first few days in the cage with their mother of course (It's fine for her to have chick crumb with them during that time. They will freely run in and out of the cage once they are used to feed being in there. I find that if I just leave the cage open once the broody and chicks have been allowed out, the older hens come in and guzzle the chick crumb, which is why I make it so that only the chicks can get in.

I hope that is of some help to you.

Regards

Barbara

 

[DarkhorseFarmer]

Very good! Thanks for all of the advice. Hopefully my broody pulls through and sits on the eggs until they hatch!

 

[DarkhorseFarmer]

Here is my broody hen's situation as of right now..

 

[Pork Pie]

Is there an entrance where she can get out if she wishes? Its better to let the broody decide when she wants to leave the nest and have a run around, dust bath, feed and poo etc. Personally, i would do this and remove the food and water from the broody coop until the chicks have hatched and let her come and go as she pleases.

Good luck!

CT

 

[rebrascora]

That is absolutely ideal. The only modification I would make is that I would cover the end that she is setting to give her a bit of darkness and privacy. A cardboard box or cardboard panels zip tied to the mesh would do or a tarpaulin or old towel draped over it, although plywood could also be used just at that end to create a cave type area. My experience is that they naturally like a safe, darkened place to brood....but certainly not essential.

Unlike the previous poster, I like to keep them locked in so that the other hens cannot disturb them and lay in their nest but I let them out once a day for a supervised broody break. They are only off the nest for 15 mins or so and I do chores in that time whilst I keep an eye on things. If you have the cage covered, then the act of letting the light in stimulates her to get up and do what she needs to do. Sometimes it takes a couple of days for her to get into the routine of it but after that it's like clockwork. Good luck with her

 

[DarkhorseFarmer]

Thanks. In your previous post, you explained how you get your chicks feed that only they can eat while feeding your fully grown hens adult feed. Do you have examples (pictures) of how this chick feed setup would look?

That is absolutely ideal. The only modification I would make is that I would cover the end that she is setting to give her a bit of darkness and privacy. A cardboard box or cardboard panels zip tied to the mesh would do or a tarpaulin or old towel draped over it, although plywood could also be used  just at that end to create a cave type area.  My experience is that they naturally like a safe, darkened place to brood....but certainly not essential.  

Unlike the previous poster, I like to keep them locked in so that the other hens cannot disturb them and lay in their nest but I let them out once a day for a supervised broody break. They are only off the nest for 15 mins or so and I do chores in that time whilst I keep an eye on things. If you have the cage covered, then the act of letting the light in stimulates her to get up and do what she needs to do. Sometimes it takes a couple of days for her to get into the routine of it but after that it's like clockwork. Good luck with her   

 

[song of joy]

My advice is totally different from what other folks have recommended, but here goes.

You mentioned that she has already been broody for several weeks and is noticeably smaller than she used to be. A broody hen loses approximately 20% of her body weight during a 3-week incubation period, as the hen eats about 80% less than it normally does. It sounds like she's lost much more than 20% of her body weight, and will continue to lose even more if she survives another 3 weeks of incubation.

So . . . my recommendation is to break her broodiness now rather than let her continue to set. Even if she were in great shape, fall and winter are not the best times to raise chicks, especially in MN.

You can break her broodiness by putting her in a cage with food, water and absolutely no bedding. It's best if the cage is elevated off the ground to allow air flow under the hen, so there's no place she can consider a warm spot to set up shop and continue to incubate. Keep her there for at least 2 or 3 days (and nights).

 

[DarkhorseFarmer]

Thanks for your input!

My advice is totally different from what other folks have recommended, but here goes.  

You mentioned that she has already been broody for several weeks and is noticeably smaller than she used to be.  A broody hen loses approximately 20% of her body weight during a 3-week incubation period, as the hen eats about 80% less than it normally does.  It sounds like she's lost much more than 20% of her body weight, and will continue to lose even more if she survives another 3 weeks of incubation.  

So . . . my recommendation is to break her broodiness now rather than let her continue to set.  Even if she were in great shape, fall and winter are not the best times to raise chicks, especially in MN.  

You can break her broodiness by putting her in a cage with food, water and absolutely no bedding.  It's best if the cage is elevated off the ground to allow air flow under the hen, so there's no place she can consider a warm spot to set up shop and continue to incubate.  Keep her there for at least 2 or 3 days (and nights).    

 

[DarkhorseFarmer]

Good news folks! Our chicks hatched on Halloween! Any advice is appreciated. We now have 8 little ones. Do we need to be concerned with cleaning in pasty butts, or will the mother somehow take care of that? As you can see, she was laying on some other hens eggs, so she has sort of taken on the roll of foster mother!

Lastly, if we pick up the chicks for care purposes, or changing bedding, will the mother take them back okay? Or will she 'disown' them for any reason..?