How many hens do you let go broody?

[anniemary]

We are excited about the idea of letting nature takes its course and allowing our hens to hatch their chicks. At first, I just had one. She took a few tries, but now she is definitely sitting and has been for about a week now. Then, she had two other moms join her. Now, I have all five of the lower nests occupied with very determined hens.

Is ok if I let them all hatch their eggs? I really don't have the room or facilities to separate these girls and their babies. How necessary is that? What problems can I expect with the rest of the flock?

BTW, I have two roosters. They are both pretty aggressive with one being the meaner than the other. We're able to manage them and the one is a beautiful roo, so we're not ready for the stew pot yet. Will they cause harm?

Of course our egg production has been cut by 2/3, so that's not great. And, I have to confess...I'm afraid to reach under and get eggs from the newer moms. I am afraid of getting attacked. I'm a chicken chicken mom which may make you wonder why I even have chickens. Actually, I'm pretty proud of how far I've come from my fear of birds. Am I the only chicken out there?

Thanks for your help.

 

[cybercat]

Do not be afraid to get the eggs. The worst they can do is peck at you. I have one that has been sitting for a few weeks. At first she growled alot and pecked a few time but not any more. If you do not want all those eggs to hatch then get them out. Alot will depend on how big your coop is and if the flock is penned or free ranged and not penned. It sound like the later with you since you have 2 roosters with them.

Your roosters sound fine and normal. One will always be the more aggressive has he is dominate rooster. They will not hurt the chicks but you will end up with more roosters. As far as the rest of the flock it can go many ways. One being the other hens picking on the chicks too them not carring one way or the other and everything in between. Alot again depends on space and hiding places.

 

[anniemary]

We have 19 hens and 2 roos. Our coop is an old milking shed 9' x 12' and our run is 200 square feet. The run just got finished, so they've been free-ranging on our 26 acres since late last summer. We're now going to keep them penned most of the time since they are destroying my flower gardens and pooping on our front porch. I feel bad about that but they're just too destructive!

I'm sure I'll be selling some of the chicks and/or culling some of the hens to keep my flock manageable. I will definitely get rid of the little roosters--two are plenty!

Thanks for the reply!!