How long will a hen "mother" her brood?

[Ursuline Chick]

We have used a broody box and a grow out pen until the biddies are able to fend for themselves. They can all see eachother and interact through mesh. Have had very few problems with intergration.

 

[Redhead Rae]

We have used a broody box and a grow out pen until the biddies are able to fend for themselves. They can all see eachother and interact through mesh. Have had very few problems with intergration.

I started integration at 1 week. I would let mama and the babies out for a couple hours in the evening and kept an eye on them at first. Mama and chicks are now out with the rest of the flock from 9-10am on wards.

 

[azygous]

I have a dedicated half section of one of my two coops for a broody nest. It also has a roosting perch, and when chicks turn five weeks old, I kick the broody and chicks out of the nest, close it off to discourage any back-sliding, and I teach the chicks to roost. With their broody also on the perch, it's a breeze because they still are able to get under her, either her body or her wings, and everyone is happy.

What usually happens after that is that the broody then moves out of the brooding coop, leaving the chicks behind, and she moves back in with the flock in the main coop. The chicks usually remain in the brooding coop for a while longer, and then they also move into the main coop, fighting their way into the pecking order on their own. It's all very natural and only on rare occasions have I had to evict "former chicks" who were still sleeping there when I needed the coop again for a broody to occupy the nest and raise a brood.

My chicks all begin mingling with the flock at age two weeks, whether they are broody-raised or brooded by me in a special chick pen in the run. I utilize chick-size portals so the chicks can evade any adult bullies by ducking through openings into safe areas where the pursuers are too large to fit. Works great.

Sounds like you also have a great system in place for early integration.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

Years ago we had some little bantam hens, and 1 little roo. Those little hens were the best darn mama's ever. hatch and raise anything. One went broody, and was nearing hatching time, we were bushhogging the pasture and hit a mama turkey, she had 7 eggs that didn't break, brought them home and candled them, put them under little banty, and I stole her chicks as they hatched, she stayed on the nest and hatched the wild turkeys, she raised them as her own, with in a few weeks they were double her size and she still let them try to get under her wings. wish I had a picture of that, to see a tiny white/black bantam running around with 7 turkey chicks following and trying to fit under the little bantam was a sight to see. This same little bantam hatched out 5 duck eggs for me too. same thing. I had to take them away finally. She would get so upset with them swimming in the mud puddles. Next time she got to keep her own little chicks, and she was queen of the coop. I raised the ones I stole from her the first go around while she raised the turkeys. What a great mother she was. My hubby thinks she was the best chicken ever.
I thought she was pretty special too.
eventually, the Turkeys were released to the wild. they came back time and time again for over a year, one of the young turkey hens hatched 3 broods here and then quit coming around. pulled up in the yard to find Turkey and all her brood by my back door. that was awesome. So that little Bantam hen helped the wild turkey population.

 

[Bonniebooboo]

This is a great thread, I enjoyed it very much.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Years ago we had some little bantam hens, and 1 little roo. Those little hens were the best darn mama's ever. hatch and raise anything. One went broody, and was nearing hatching time, we were bushhogging the pasture and hit a mama turkey, she had 7 eggs that didn't break, brought them home and candled them, put them under little banty, and I stole her chicks as they hatched, she stayed on the nest and hatched the wild turkeys, she raised them as her own, with in a few weeks they were double her size and she still let them try to get under her wings. wish I had a picture of that, to see a tiny white/black bantam running around with 7 turkey chicks following and trying to fit under the little bantam was a sight to see. This same little bantam hatched out 5 duck eggs for me too. same thing. I had to take them away finally. She would get so upset with them swimming in the mud puddles. Next time she got to keep her own little chicks, and she was queen of the coop. I raised the ones I stole from her the first go around while she raised the turkeys. What a great mother she was. My hubby thinks she was the best chicken ever.
I thought she was pretty special too.
eventually, the Turkeys were released to the wild. they came back time and time again for over a year, one of the young turkey hens hatched 3 broods here and then quit coming around. pulled up in the yard to find Turkey and all her brood by my back door. that was awesome. So that little Bantam hen helped the wild turkey population.

What wonderful stories! Thanks for sharing!

 

[tuesdaylove]

I think it must depend on the broody hen herself. My d'Uccle has raised quite a few babies and cared for them closely until they were 5 or 6 months old. My Rosecomb mix has just raised a chick that's almost 3 months old, and she stopped paying close attention to her at about 8 weeks.

 

[Krazyquilts]

I just had a bowl of Rooster -n- Noodles......
.....and wished it was Rooster -n- Rice, stays on spoon better.

Use chopsticks then! And add an egg for some Egg Drop soup - takes it up an extra tasty notch!

 

[Krazyquilts]

Years ago we had some little bantam hens, and 1 little roo. Those little hens were the best darn mama's ever. hatch and raise anything. One went broody, and was nearing hatching time, we were bushhogging the pasture and hit a mama turkey, she had 7 eggs that didn't break, brought them home and candled them, put them under little banty, and I stole her chicks as they hatched, she stayed on the nest and hatched the wild turkeys, she raised them as her own, with in a few weeks they were double her size and she still let them try to get under her wings. wish I had a picture of that, to see a tiny white/black bantam running around with 7 turkey chicks following and trying to fit under the little bantam was a sight to see. This same little bantam hatched out 5 duck eggs for me too. same thing. I had to take them away finally. She would get so upset with them swimming in the mud puddles. Next time she got to keep her own little chicks, and she was queen of the coop. I raised the ones I stole from her the first go around while she raised the turkeys. What a great mother she was. My hubby thinks she was the best chicken ever.
I thought she was pretty special too.
eventually, the Turkeys were released to the wild. they came back time and time again for over a year, one of the young turkey hens hatched 3 broods here and then quit coming around. pulled up in the yard to find Turkey and all her brood by my back door. that was awesome. So that little Bantam hen helped the wild turkey population.

What a lovely story!!! You should enter it in the Chicken story contest.

 

[gimmie birdies]

We had a boy and a girl turkeys once, the boy and girl never had babies of their own, but one lonely wild turkey flew in to our yard, and mated with the boy turkey, She and her babies hung out in our trees every night, it was funny to see them line up to fly into the trees. They hung out for a long time, but then someone else started to feed them I guess and they moved over there.