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DonnaS

DonnaS

Chirping
9 Years
Jun 15, 2014
14
23
94
New to BYC AND new to raising chickens. I love my girls. Had no idea i'd take to it so well. Anxious to get to know everyone and learn something from all of you. Thanks to 2 incidents with the neighborhood dogs, I only have 4 chickens. 2 of them don't lay at all. 1 does lay and my pretty little banty, well she was my best layer. Then after she realized I was stealing her eggs, she starting hiding them. she successfully hid 11 of them and starting setting. Of course then she stopped laying. But having no rooster, We just couldn't leave the eggs there. (She hid them underneath the coop). We drug her out and removed the eggs. (she still isn't speaking to me.) That was 2 weeks ago and she still hasn't starting laying again yet. We are about to be given a young, handsome and virile rooster. Is there any advice you can give me about introducing him to my girls?
 
Greetings from Oregon!
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Sounds like you have a determined "broody" on your hands!!
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Usually when I introduce new birds, I just put them/him/her into the coop at night and keep a close eye on them when I let them out in the morning to make sure there isn't bloodshed.
Hope your hens start laying better for you
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Welcome to BYC! Sorry about your losses to the dogs. Dogs and chickens typically do not mix well. I answer to your question about how to add a rooster to your flock; the short answer is very slowly and carefully. There is a good article on introducing a new rooster to an existing flock of hens at http://www.grit.com/animals/how-to-add-a-rooster-to-your-flock.aspx#axzz37xnXqBFX Good luck with your rooster.
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Michael O'Shay has given you a good link on introducing a roo. After the medical quarantine an introductory period of time behind wire ie if you can divide the coop or keep the roo in a cage for a couple of weeks in the coop usually leads to the least potential drama. There is a good article on adding chickens to your flock in general in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/maintaining-a-healthy-flock One thing, you are a little short on hens, the usual recommended hen to roo ratio is about 10-1 or hens tend to get overmated etc.
Broodys will usually start laying again a month or so after they quit being broody (if they don't have chicks and don't go into a molt), so your girl should hopefully start laying in a couple of weeks.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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You have been give some great advice. So I will just welcome you to BYC! Definitely follow the links provided for more info.

Good luck with your flock and welcome to ours!
 
Welcome to the flock. If you plan to breed the banty hen, hopefully you won't be getting a BIG rooster for her, so she won't be injured.

She could just as easily hatch fertile eggs you buy of any breed, without the benefit of her own rooster. You would just need to swap out her infertile eggs, with the fertile ones you buy, once she is broody again.
 

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