Howdy Everyone! New to chickens and have questions

[Doughnut]

Hello. Nice to meet everyone. Um, I am need of some help. I have never owned chickens before so am a newbie when it comes to them. Our neighbors two roosters and one hen decided to move to my place about a month ago. They don't want to go back home. I have horses, donkeys and goats and now three chickens. Well, the hen has decided to lay eggs in the goat house and she is sitting on them. Okay, fine, she wants to sit on eggs that is okay. Well, what should I do? Leave her alone and hope when the babies are hatched they will be okay? The goat house is in the front pasture where the donkeys, horses and goats are. I'm afraid the babies will get stepped on. Should I build a pen around the goat house so the babies will be safe? I do not know what to do. Do I put food and water next to the hen so she can eat? Help! Thank you in advanced for any info.

 

[ilroost]

I have mine in with my goats and in 3 yrs of hatching never had 1 stepped on

 

[MSHEN]

 

[chickiebaby]

Yay! Arent you lucky! Put out some kitchen scraps and/or grain and alots f water. And then let nature take her course, dontcha think? And keep us posted. Welcome to you and yours!

 

[mullers3acers]

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

from TN

 

[PortageGirl]

Happy to meet you! Glad you're here!!

Hope you enjoy our company!!

WELCOME to BYC!!!

That really is a funny situation. Yep, provide her nearby water, and go get some chicken feed for her if you can and put it near her too. She'll get off the nest now and then to eat, poo, and drink. She should also keep them away from dangerous feet... is she in an out of the way corner? If not, you can probably get a cut down box, or a tray of some kind, and move everything over out of the way. Hens aren't usually like a wild bird that will abandon an nest if a human touches the nest/eggs.

One other question, are you sure she's visited the rooster and the eggs are fertil? ... just wondering!

 

[MammaHen]

Welcome to the most fabulous place I've discovered in a long time...........

 

[Doughnut]

Thank you for the warm welcome.

Yes, she is in the corner of the goat house out of the way. Tucked away between the feeder and a wall. When I checked on here she fluffed up here feathers and cackled at me which I am guessing was her way of telling me to back off. So, I backed off. Didn't want to upset her.

The two roosters have had their way with her so am fairly certain the eggs are fertile. The black and white speckled rooster seems to be the more dominant and chases the yellow rooster away everytime he gets close to the hen. Although I have seen the yellow rooster run in and get a quickie while the other rooster is far enough away. Although when the black and white speckled rooster sees what the yellow rooster is doing he chases him away. I must say I laugh when I see it.

I will go to the feed store and buy the hen some chicken food. The chickens have been eating the horse grain I feed the horses and donkeys.

This is so exciting learning about chickens.

Hope you all don't mind if I ask lots of questions if I can't find what I am looking for on the message board. I just want to make sure the hen and her chicks will be healthy and safe.

Thanks everyone.

 

[PortageGirl]

Sounds like all is well then!!!

You could put some sort of box or board or something to sort of keep others away, but it sounds like you don't really need to bother, totally up to how things look and feel for you. Here's an interesting article for you to look over, http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html and the BYC "Learning Center" has all kinds of info (up in the very top bar of the forum thread!) Honestly, looking that section over so you at least have an idea what is there will help you quite a bit. All the same, ask away, if nothing else someone will post a link to a helpful thread or to the exact place in the Learning Center there might be an answer to help you!!

I love that there's so many replies usually and people can get all sorts of opinions and ideas.