Integration

[MaggysEggsAidan]

A while ago one of my hens went broody. She successfully hatched 6 chicks and has looked after them well, the chicks are now 5 weeks old an my hen has rejected them. I want to put her with the two other hens that she grew up with but they keep pecking at each other and flapping there wings. I have seperated her from both the hens and the chicks but I ultimately want her to be back with the other hens. What to do?

 

[chicknmania]

She would reject the chicks around 5 weeks. Some hens keep their babies with them longer, but we keep ours in a pen til they are five weeks old and then put them out to free range with their mother, because if we wait much longer, a lot of times she will just want to get away from them. Especially if they are rooster chicks. In my experience the mother will keep hen chicks with her longer. Your hen thinks her babies are old enough to fledge, and be on their own, that's all. And that's how she convinces THEM that they are old enough...by attacking them and chasing them away from her. Not all hens do that, but some do. Eventually they will re-establish a pecking order. If you want to, you could keep her in a wire pen where she can interact with the others, but not get in so many fights, until the chicks have a chance to get acclimated. A few days. But really it would be better if you could just hang out with them for a few days off and on to break up anything major, and just hope they work it out themselves. Probably, they will.

 

[chicknmania]

Do you have the chicks separated from the older hens, too?

 

[MaggysEggsAidan]

Yes , for the time being.

 

[MaggysEggsAidan]

Thank you for the advice, by the way I shall definitely give it ago

 

[Mrs. K]

You won't have these problems if the next time your broody hen raises chicks you keep them with the flock. When you pull the broody hen she looses her pecking order place. When you reintroduce her to the flock, they don't remember her, and it upsets the whole flock till a new pecking order is established. Then later you add the chicks, and a new pecking order needs to be established again.

If you leave her and the chicks with the flock, they all are part of the flock. She will protect them from the layers, and they grow up with the flock and you never have to integrate anything. In order to do this, you do need enough space. But it really works a treat.

It is too late to do this, this time, but next time it really works well.

Mrs K

 

[aldarita]

Mrs K, I always wonder what works best, I guess based on your experience it is better to leave the hen and her chicks with the rest of the flock but what happens if your broody is at the bottom of the pecking order and it is not strong enough to defend her babies from the others? have you had this happened to you?
I much rather let the broody raise her chicks with the rest of the family, but I am always concerned if she is one of the weak ones the others might kill the babies.
What is your experience about this?

 

[Mrs. K]

my broody hens always become very aggressive when they become broody. The growl and puff up at everyone. The layers try not to look at her, come in and get in another nest, do their business and get out. Even if she was lower in the pecking order, she rises as she broods.

The only time I worry about is the 12-15 hours of hatching. If the first hatched chicks get out of the nest, and she is still setting, trying to get the later eggs to hatch. At that time, I lock the layers out of the coup, and give them a nest out in the run. But once she has them hatched, I let the flock back in. And I think the hen claims the chicks longer too. Right now, I have 11 seven week chicks that still follow the broody hen around, and she still talks to them, and several of them still roost right next to her, a few are a little distance away.

Works for me, my grandfather was an old time rancher, and once told me, never forget that she knows more about being a cow, than you ever will. And I think that applies to chickens too. I do best when I interfere the least.

Mrs K

 

[aldarita]

Thanks for your reply, very much appreciated. It clarifies a lot of concerns I have about raising chicks with an adult flock. I have nor done that yet but I am trying to learn all I can before I take the big step.

 

[tcmstalcup]

I don't know if my response will be helpful but I'll throw in my 2 cents. When we reintroduce a hen we have had out for any reason and when we introduce babies, we do it at night. We wait til they are all asleep and place the new or returning chickens in the coop. My experience is chickens can't count and they just wake up to more of 'em. We also have lots of space for ranging. I think that helps too.