Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I will now update that more hawk attempts occured today. Our neighbor saw the hawk sitting on her fence waiting for opportunity. She ran outside & actually scared it. When she went back to check on the chickens, she found many huddled under the pine & others inside the covered run. The roos were going crazy & guarding their hens. Such good boys. No losses.

I ended up putting the dogs out there for a while. That's about the only things the hawks are actually afraid of.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

I am reluctant to say I haven't had any predators since the Opossum attack. Hopefully, my luck will continue. Haven't even seen a hawk since early summer.

Well after 3 weeks of putting the black orps, mottled, and silver lace roo in the yard with the existing flock, they spent their first nite together. Thankfully, it went well. They are still hanging out on the patio, but hopefully they will start to mingle more. I think Mick and Clyde will be going to the feed store this weekend. That will just leave the 3 girls, 2 bantams and lav leghorn to introduce to the yard. Babies should be hatching in the next week or so. I have the 4 bantam broodies sitting on a couple of eggs each. 1 of them is from the spring hatch, she is 5 months old, laid for about 2 weeks before going broody, then Minnie and 2 of the mama's that shared to hatching of the 2 babies.

 

[Faraday40]

What is it like when you have multiple broodies with chicks of the same age? Do they tend to work together or battle at every chance?

Trouble went broody & then Cookie joined the club 3 days later. Both are experienced, but I had to move Cookie into the garage b/c I didn't want broodies taking up 1/2 the nests. All of the eggs were started at the same time, so we'll have about 10-12 chicks hatching around Monday. ( I've got 4 under Trouble, 1 under Cookie, & 7 in the incubator. They are separated by biological mother, but once they hatch and have leg bands, the broodies will get the chicks. )

So my question is what's the best way to care for everyone? Should I move both broodies to the same cage now before eggs hatch? Will they share duties? Should I keep the broodies apart until the chicks bond with their foster mama? Although Cookie is Trouble's adopted mom, they are not "friends" or even the same breed. Most chicks will be sold right away, but I've found it easier to keep at least one with the broody to prevent depression.

Earlier this year:
Cookie



Trouble

 

[chickendreams24]

I know some people have broodies together just fine. Our experience this spring was not a very good one in that aspect. We had four broodies around Easter due within 1 week of each other. Two hatched the same day but became very combative and one turned on her chicks, she began attacking all the chicks. This was an isolated incident and we took her chicks when we felt they were threatened. For several days the other hen mothered both sets of chicks but she was a first time mother and got confused about a week later. We took half the chicks and brooded them ourselves leaving her with four. She did well with this number for another week when at about three- four weeks old she began to foget to call her chicks to her. We pulled them all for their safety. She will be allowed another chance but we have not had any fertile eggs when she went broody over the summer. The first one that was separated from her chicks was also a first time mother she did go broody again shortly after being separated and was allowed to hatch another clutch. She did very well with them and they stayed with the adult flock even after she was done brooding them(around 5 weeks).

The other two broodies were due within two days of each other and I had more hope for them. However two newly hatched chicks stumbled out and appeared to have gone back to the wrong Mama who was in lockdown and being very defensive she killed one of the two chicks. Again this was our only instance of this. I believe it really depends on the temperaments of the hens. The two that hatched later were separated for about a week after the one chick was killed and eventually after being able to see each other for several days were placed together without a problem and introduced back to the main flock they did quite well and though never completely working together they did both feed and watch out for the chicks. At night they both had their own chicks so it was an interesting experience. From our experiences I do plan to always separate the broodies until a few days after hatch unless they have previously brooded chicks with another hen and done very well.

Unfortunately we have not hatched more than five broody clutches this year which is a very small window. Our golden laced sebright went broody but broke when we moved her for safety. Our self blue OEGB just quite literally the day we picked up fertile eggs for her. Thanks Crocket. Lol

We have also had the ditzy mother, Lovey(a gray silkie) try to brood again but the eggs ended up not being fertile and she gave up before we could acquire any fertile ones. Which is fine because Lovey is such a dedicated broody that she loses quite a bit of weight. After going broody three times since Easter I had to decide to keep pulling her out until she broke. We just recently had the two silke hens and Crocket broody but as I said they all quit before we got the fertile eggs.

My precious Cinder went broody during the 100+* spell we had this summer and I decided not to get her fertile eggs as she was hot to the point I would find her dead in the nest box. Shortly after she quit an unknown predator got her. I regret that she didn't get to be a Mommy but it was out of care for her that I didn't.

So it's been an interesting broody season for us around here. I'm happy to say that as a whole our flock did amazing with very little pecking of the chicks when introduced. We did have one curious hen attack an egg that was hatching early before the hen(our crazy broody that DH2B us afraid to put his hand under) was separated for lockdown. The chick unfortunately was gone when we got there and I was livid. She was not separate for incubation BC nobody dared go near her nest lol momma and the rest of the clutch were separated immediately and I sold that hen shortly after. I was quite surprised that the broody allowed the other hen in the nest we which was a very very odd thing for her.

All in all I'd say it was a success! We learned some things certainly. We definitely experienced the broody bug and it's contagion. Lol we did lose a broody chick to a predator while it was still under it's mother's care. I'm very excited for next year and I can't wait to have some other ladies go broody and see how they do next year hopefully.
My last hatch gave us a very beautiful paint silkie that is seven weeks and looking like a pullet. It may have a single comb I'm not sure yet but I just love it anyways, hoping for a pullet.

We did of course have to put the eggs we got for the broodies that quit into the incubator, which had to be brought back out. 13 silkie eggs and 4 lavender/split orp eggs, set last Sunday. Seeing a lot of development in quite a few silkie eggs can't wait to see what we get! We hope to add another cockeral, assuming the paint is a pullet, and as many pullets as we can. Have one maybe two pullets that hatched from our own silkies one a little partridge the other the jury is still out on is from a white roo over our gray hen and is quite a cool looking little thing. Mostly white with splash looking wing tips. Hopefully they are both girls and I'm correct.

Also have a cockeral from the red partridge roo we had(taken by predator) over the buff hen(also taken by predator) he will more than likely be staying. Looks like a perfect cross between Mommy and Daddy.

 

[ChicagoClucker]

My experience with broody hens is that everyone is different .I have my older marans and 1 of my cochin bantam still sharing duties with the 2 cockerel chicks. Black Betty and Max are co parenting the other 2 chicks since her sisters decided to go broody again. Max and Black Betty are quite the item these days, but they all still share the old coop with the 2 broody sisters sitting in the nesting box. No problems there.

When I had the 5 broody hens in the small coop in the spring, and the bantam mottled babies began to hatch, Minnie would go over and kill their chicks. It took me a while to figure it out, but ended up catching her in the act. So, when Minnie goes broody, she gets a private spot all to herself, which of right now is the dog house/converted chicken coop. Since I don't know how the newbie will be she is in a pet carrier in the garage. And my 2 experienced mottle mamas are sharing a nest again.

Now each set of the bantam chicks are in 2 different coops. The both share the same space outside but it hasn't been til just recently that the chicks are finally intermingling. There haven't been problems at all, it was just like when you have a baby and they spend most of their time by mom, until they are old enough to play with friends, at least that is how I see it happening over here. The older hens are great with the chicks in the yard, never a problem. Although the black orps have been chasing the chicks the last couple of weeks, so the chicks steer clear of them. LOL

I was also considering selling the chicks at the Plainfield flea market and animal swap meet coming up at the end of the month. I will be keeping a chick or 2 so the broody mama's do not become depressed. After reading about your poor Cookie's depression, and my SL orps depression when she lost her chick in the water bowl, I couldn't do that to them.

 

[rfreedlund]

Last summer I had three broody Australorps in the same partitioned area of the coop each with 6 eggs set on the same day. Fifteen of the eggs hatched and the mothers and chicks all traveled everywhere as a team. They all slept together in the same corner of the coop so I don't think the chicks knew necessarily which one "mama" was. They just all gathered together. Eventually one of the mothers broke from the group and the chicks continued to follow the remaining two. When a second mother decided she had had enough, the 15 chicks all piled around and under the remaining mother hen in the same corner. When the last mother said "enough is enough" the chicks were all ready to take care of themselves, though it did take some time before they all stopped sleeping in the same corner of the coop.

I think this happened because I had all three mothers together from the beginning. When I have had different broody hens hatch at different times (even only a week apart), the chicks have tended to stay with the one that hatched them.

 

[Molpet]

I will now update that more hawk attempts occured today. Our neighbor saw the hawk sitting on her fence waiting for opportunity. She ran outside & actually scared it. When she went back to check on the chickens, she found many huddled under the pine & others inside the covered run. The roos were going crazy & guarding their hens. Such good boys. No losses.

I ended up putting the dogs out there for a while. That's about the only things the hawks are actually afraid of.

Yes my dog chases the hawks, but with the heat he doesn't want to stay out...I tried an air horn for a boat, didn't phase the hawks at all. Although so far, I haven't had any attacks...but I figure it is a matter of time.

 

[chickendreams24]

Okay guys I'm a bit puzzled by some of the flock and wondering if I should be worried, although they're all acting okay.
My white sport cream legbar pullet layed me about 7-9 wonderful eggs and then stopped it's been nearly two weeks since we've gotten one from her. We have her locked up now to see but we've looked around for hidden nests and seen nothing. Yes of course we could just be missing it but she's been locked up for three days and still nothing from her. Should I be worried? Could it be the weather changes? We also have at least one other pullet our Super Chick that was laying even more regularly than the legbar. Again nothing and she's been locked up four days. I really don't want to lose them. Super Chick (slw/ISA brown-DH2B coined the phrase and it stuck) was laying nice medium brown eggs daily. If it's the daylight changes or the temp swings I'm fine I don't mind them taking some time off to grow more. I haven't yet done any vent exams other than merely looking. They all look like they could be laying. Our Easter hatch a long EE chick we kept also has shown no signs of laying but her vent also looks like she could be. Plus the two chocolate Orpingtons which I know are slow starters but one for sure did lay a soft shell one day. She may be the one injured.

I'm guessing it's the heat and weather or somewhere there's about 50 eggs hidden lol. We have kept them locked up for a couple days and didn't seem to get any new layers. They're being bred by the boys so it is confusing to me.

Admittedly almost all of our birds last year were hatchery stock and most layed before 20 weeks so I'm impatient. Our earliest layer last year was 16 weeks and an ISA brown. I couldn't believe it!

Okay well just needed to vent and ask if I'm insane or not. Hoping all the birds are okay.

 

[Faraday40]

It's a little early, but for me, the blue & green egg layers completely stop at some point in the fall & don't lay again until March. Usually because of a molt. It didn't matter that I added light last year.

Last year, I made the mistake of treating ALL my chickens for worms in the 1st week of Sept. Had to toss all their eggs. By Oct when I could finally eat the eggs, many had stopped or slowed down, After Halloween I began slowly increasing their daylight. In Dec 2015, I got about 8-12 eggs a week from 15 hens. It was better than 2014 when we got only 4 eggs per week.

This year I plan to give 1/2 the flock dewormer now & the other 1/2 in October. That way I won't have to toss all the eggs for 4 weeks. I'm not sure about the light. Does anyone use artificial light? If so, what's the best month to start? I wonder if I started too late to get the full benefit. My flock's egg production has been all over the place lately. Two weeks ago I got 9 eggs in one day, with an average od 6-8 daily. Today my loving hens only gave me 4 eggs....... and it's my birthday too! Of course, I know they're stressed out by the constant siege of hawks the past few days. That is probably the cause in my situation.

 

[chickendreams24]

Oh wow happy birthday!!!
@Faraday40
How's the hatch going?

I should have been a bit more clear so far our hens a year old in May are laying at partial capacity despite their molt. Only the juveniles have slowed, stopped or failed to start at all as far as we know. One of the people who got an EE pullet from our Easter hatch this spring was getting beautiful green eggs for a week or more regularly before they found her dead in a freak accident a couple days ago. It just seems odd that we have never seen a single pullet egg from our EE.

Last year our EEs did lay occasionally all the way through winter as did our ISA browns but I think our silkies were the best winter layers we had. Lol