Introduction..

[Brenda Matthews]

Good morning everyone! My name is Brenda and Im a new Chicken Mamma
I have a few questions concerning choosing a chicken " Nanny" to help in the careof new chicks from my incubators.
They will be hatching around the 26th of this month..The hens I have now are 4 Silver laced wyandotte..1 black cochin bantam..and 4 red hens..not sure of breed (look similar to the orphintons(sp) which breed will be best for nanny job?

 

[Ryguy3684]

Are any of them currently broody?

 

[Brenda Matthews]

Are any of them currently broody?

...broody. as in sitting on the nest alot? Unfortunately no.. oldest set of hens are around a year and half old
How old are they roughly before broody sets in?

 

[Jeanw]

 

[DobieLover]

...broody. as in sitting on the nest alot? Unfortunately no.. oldest set of hens are around a year and half old
How old are they roughly before broody sets in?

None of your chickens should be allowed near the chicks. If they aren't broody, they will attack them.
Becoming broody is hormone driven. The hen/pullet becomes fixated on becoming a mother.
You are going to have to set up a brooder with a heat source and raise those chicks yourself. If you do that in the coop with a safe heat source like a brooder plate, you will be able to integrate the chicks into your flock much earlier than if you try to brood them in your house or somewhere away from your current flock.
The brooder will have to be secured in such a way that the chicks can see the adults and the adults can see the chicks but they cannot get to one another. You will eventually fashion a door small enough so that the chicks can get out but the hens cannot get in. When the chicks are about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks old you can start to open the door and let them wander out. If they run into trouble they can run back through the door to get back into the brooder.

 

[Brenda Matthews]

None of your chickens should be allowed near the chicks. If they aren't broody, they will attack them.
Becoming broody is hormone driven. The hen/pullet becomes fixated on becoming a mother.
You are going to have to set up a brooder with a heat source and raise those chicks yourself. If you do that in the coop with a safe heat source like a brooder plate, you will be able to integrate the chicks into your flock much earlier than if you try to brood them in your house or somewhere away from your current flock.

 

[Ryguy3684]

None of your chickens should be allowed near the chicks. If they aren't broody, they will attack them.
Becoming broody is hormone driven. The hen/pullet becomes fixated on becoming a mother.

X2. A hen won't go broody during her first laying season. If none of them are broody, then you won't be able to let the hens raise the chicks. It's best to raise them in the brooder then integrate them into the flock when older.

 

[Brenda Matthews]

Thank you so much! At what age is it safe for them to go in genaral populations? I have 4 that have bern in the coop with other but seperate by fencing..for sbout 2 weeks..I believe they are bout a month old

 

[DobieLover]

A hen won't go broody during her first laying season.

Yes, they will. I had 4 pullets go broody this year alone. I broke all of them.
The best mothers are the older hens that rank high in the flock.

 

[DobieLover]

Thank you so much! At what age is it safe for them to go in genaral populations? I have 4 that have bern in the coop with other but seperate by fencing..for sbout 2 weeks..I believe they are bout a month old

How old is the older flock? if I read what you wrote correctly you have 4 weeks old in the coop that have been there for 2 weeks? Is that right? Which means you are already brooding in the coop with a heat source?