Just registered. Hello!

[artvandolay]

Welcome to the coop! I use the Forums and Articles tabs at the top of the page to do research. You can get lost for hours. It's nice to know you are minutes away from getting help with questions and emergencies! I always check in the "What's New" section as well at the top of this page. This way I can read how I may have a similar question or help give some advice.

Yup, I got lost last night.

 

[janiedoe]

Yeah, I wasn't sure with the roosters. I have a friend who I can donate them who may cook them for food. I would consider it as wel, but will have to learn about it a bit more on how to prep them. I was thinking of keeping one rooster to protect them as I had before he died. I just had to have a collar for him because we're not supposed to have roosters.

I was also looking into the Serama breed which is smaller and only about 1/3 as loud as the average rooster. A person was selling them for $20. I have to look into this breed.

I wouldn't keep a rooster if you aren't allowed to have one. The no crow collars can cause choking and death. I have some bantam roosters and while they aren't as loud as my standards, they still make themselves heard many times a day.

 

[DobieLover]

But if I incubate them, will she pay attention to the chicks or leave them alone?

She will likely ignore them if she can see them but she'll know they are there and will watch. If you let them out to be with her and she isn't broody and they weren't grafted to her, she could kill them.

Does that make a difference?

It doesn't. Just because a hen has been broody in the past doesn't mean she will just go broody because chicks are around. The presence of chicks doesn't cause broodiness. It's hormonal. She would have to be broody first then have the chicks grafted to her before she'd take care of them.

And how long will they have to be in a brooder before I can let them wander the yard and coop?

The chicks can start exploring the coop/run when they are about 3-4 weeks old. They will need a heat source until they are fully feathered at 6 weeks old.
I mentioned that you should section off part of your coop to make a brooder using 1/2" hardware cloth and a brooder plate. This way she can see the chicks growing up and will accept them faster. Depending on her personality, she may or may not be tough on the chicks once they are 4 weeks old and you let them start to explore, but she shouldn't injure them. Give the chicks at least 1.5-2 sq ft per chick in the brooder for space.
When the day comes they are ready to explore, fashion one or two small chick sized doors that only they can fit through. Let the lone hen out of the coop and lock her out then open the chick doors and let them explore all over the coop for an hour or two before you open the pop door and let the hen back in. Be there to monitor their interactions. Chicks that age are zippy fast but they may have trouble getting back into the brooder because they aren't used to using the doors. During their exploration time, work on showing them the doors and make sure they are comfortable coming and going through them.

 

[triciayoung]

Welcome from South Carolina