Introducing Chicks to Very Determined Bantams

[Worriesandwonders]

Hello! I currently have 2 bantam hens in a coop by themselves. There is currently no rooster, but they are crazy egg layers. They could just lay one egg a day and both be sitting on it trying to hatch it. Anyways, I was thinking about getting some brown egg layers (not sure what breed, but thinking about a silver colored breed). Would it be okay to give the bantams these new chicks if I do end up getting them? A part of me says it would be fine since they are so determined to hatch something, but the other part says that it will be a disaster. Thanks for any tips or help

 

[DobieLover]

Hello! I currently have 2 bantam hens in a coop by themselves. There is currently no rooster, but they are crazy egg layers. They could just lay one egg a day and both be sitting on it trying to hatch it. Anyways, I was thinking about getting some brown egg layers (not sure what breed, but thinking about a silver colored breed). Would it be okay to give the bantams these new chicks if I do end up getting them? A part of me says it would be fine since they are so determined to hatch something, but the other part says that it will be a disaster. Thanks for any tips or help

Welcome to BYC!
Can you post pictures of your coop and run and give dimensions in sq feet for both?

Once a hen goes broody, she stops laying eggs and just sits on the nest. These hens don't sound broody. Can you describe more of their behavior that makes you think they want to sit?

 

[Worriesandwonders]

Welcome to BYC!
Can you post pictures of your coop and run and give dimensions in sq feet for both?

Once a hen goes broody, she stops laying eggs and just sits on the nest. These hens don't sound broody. Can you describe more of their behavior that makes you think they want to sit?

I dont have any pictures or measurements right now, but what happens is that they lay one egg or more and sit on it until I take them away and they do it again. I take the eggs away so they don't rot obviously and because there is no rooster so it's pointless. Anyways, when I go to take the eggs, both hens fluff up their feathers like they would when protecting and start clucking. They get upset once I take the eggs and start looking for them. Then they usually get up to eat or walk around and do it again. Hope this helps As for the coop, I can say its fairly large with 5 best boxes, a roost, and a large outdoor pen. The inside (coop) I could estimate is about 6 by 6 maybe larger and the pen (outside) is probably 10 by 6 or something similar.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They don't sound like like they're set yet, might be thinking about going broody but not there yet.

 

[Worriesandwonders]

They don't sound like like they're set yet, might be thinking about going broody but not there yet.

What are signs that they are ready? And can I introduce chicks to them if they have the right behavior?

 

[NatJ]

Give them a few fake eggs to sit on (fake eggs do not rot!)

A hen usually needs to sit on the eggs for three weeks, all day and all night, before they hatch. A hen doing this is called broody.

If you want a hen to adopt chicks, she will need to sit on "eggs" for a similar length of time. That way, she is ready (hormonally & mentally) to be a mother.

If a hen keeps going to the roost to sleep each night, then she is not broody. If she spends all night and almost all day on the nest, she probably is broody.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If a hen keeps going to the roost to sleep each night, then she is not broody. If she spends all night and almost all day on the nest, she probably is broody.

^ This is mainly what you're looking for. All other behaviors (such as puffing up, hissing, tik tik tik chirping sound) indicate they may be thinking about it, but only when they actually sit day and night are they broody.

 

[Worriesandwonders]

Should I buy normal sized fake eggs or smaller fake eggs like quail eggs? I'm not sure if it matters but, I know that bantams lay smaller eggs. Thanks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Bantams will sit on standard eggs, so I'd just get whatever size is available.