(Let Broody Hen Do It All) Experiances Please

[FunClucks]

How did you broody end up doing?

She did awesome!!! She ended up hatching out two chicks, and then I thought she had left the nest, so I put the peeping eggs into the incubator for a day (left fake eggs in the nest), and the next morning had one more little one. That afternoon an hour or so before bed, I took the chick out to the broody and shoved it under her. The chick was peeping because it was cold, and she started bawking at it before she could even see it. I put the chick under her, pulled out the fake eggs which she had gone back to sitting on, the chick got warm, and everyone was quiet. She accepted that chick with no issues whatsoever. But also, she's never pecked me or given me any trouble for reaching under her and messing with her eggs. When she's not on the nest she doesn't want to be messed with, but if I insist she tolerates me touching her and picking her up. I haven't got a hand on the babies since then though.

I'm not entirely sure she had left the nest, but the eggs were cold so I rescued them. I think if all the eggs had been set at the same time, there wouldn't have been any issues. I am glad I put more eggs under her though, two of the chicks hatched from the second set of eggs I put under her. We had one develop half way and quit, and the others were not fertile.

She's been a good mom. Even though she was in the lower end of the pecking order, once we opened up her enclosure, and all the other chickens came to check it out, whenever they got close to the chicks she would beat them up. She would peck, and jump on their backs, and pull their neck feathers. She even went at it with the head hen and won. She doesn't seem to mind if they peck her, but if they get near her chicks, it's on. They're 3 weeks or so now, and she's still caring for them, and the other chickens mostly leave them alone. I'm pretty pleased, and would let her hatch again.

Still trying to get the pics off my phone.

 

[Debbie292d]

I always assumed momma hen and chicks seperate themseves around 6 to 8 weeks. I've never let them do the raising in the flock before so I suppose I will find out. Hopefully the rooster keeps helping the way he is even after momma goes on her way. Last year I kept momma seperated with her chicks way to long. Every suggestion I read online said 12 weeks. It wasn't a easy transition. But last year there was 5 chicks and all 5 were roosters.

6-8 week old silkie chicks used to free-ranging with their moms suddenly free-ranging by themselves is not only a funny site, but a dangerous one. Our two silkie roosters actually hung out with them from time to time and our dogs look out for them too. A clutch of 12 became 11 though once and we never knew what got it.

 

[schrephouse]

She did awesome!!! She ended up hatching out two chicks, and then I thought she had left the nest, so I put the peeping eggs into the incubator for a day (left fake eggs in the nest), and the next morning had one more little one. That afternoon an hour or so before bed, I took the chick out to the broody and shoved it under her. The chick was peeping because it was cold, and she started bawking at it before she could even see it. I put the chick under her, pulled out the fake eggs which she had gone back to sitting on, the chick got warm, and everyone was quiet. She accepted that chick with no issues whatsoever. But also, she's never pecked me or given me any trouble for reaching under her and messing with her eggs. When she's not on the nest she doesn't want to be messed with, but if I insist she tolerates me touching her and picking her up. I haven't got a hand on the babies since then though.

I'm not entirely sure she had left the nest, but the eggs were cold so I rescued them. I think if all the eggs had been set at the same time, there wouldn't have been any issues. I am glad I put more eggs under her though, two of the chicks hatched from the second set of eggs I put under her. We had one develop half way and quit, and the others were not fertile.

She's been a good mom. Even though she was in the lower end of the pecking order, once we opened up her enclosure, and all the other chickens came to check it out, whenever they got close to the chicks she would beat them up. She would peck, and jump on their backs, and pull their neck feathers. She even went at it with the head hen and won. She doesn't seem to mind if they peck her, but if they get near her chicks, it's on. They're 3 weeks or so now, and she's still caring for them, and the other chickens mostly leave them alone. I'm pretty pleased, and would let her hatch again.

Still trying to get the pics off my phone.

This all sounds fantastic. Great job.

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I've mostly allowed my broodies to have their babies together with the rest of the flock. There were circumstances where I needed to separate them but the better outcomes were when the broodies stayed with their normal flock. The biggest interference I do is I'll usually set eggs in an incubator that coincides with when my broody starts sitting so I can hand off raising a bunch of chicks onto her.

The most common issue I find with broodies taking care of their own eggs is other hens wanting the preferred nest box and smashing eggs because the broody won't move.

My experience has been the same as you've described. To avoid the crushed eggs I modified my nest boxes so 2 hens can fit comfortably with room to spare so while one is brooding the others hop up next to her and lay their eggs without a fight and then the broody will roll their unattended eggs under her so I just have to come out more often to collect the unmarked eggs.

I don't separate my rooster from the flock so when the chicks start hatching he comes in and watched the broody hen and keeps the other hens away. When momma takes her babies out in the beginning the other hens will try to get them but the rooster will watch them and if necessary he has grabbed and pinned the offending hens and they never bother the babies after that. Of course the momma hen does her part to protect her babies but it's nice that daddy rooster also does his part in it since I know not all roosters are like that. My hens tend to wean the chicks between 3-5 weeks old and then my rooster takes over from there until they are too big to fit under him and then roost next to him and after a month or so when they are about 2 1/2 months old he'll leave them and go back to the older hens. I did have to separate 1 broody because she was so aggressive with the rest of the flock around her babies that she accidentally trampled one to death trying to chase off the other hens so I moved her and her chicks to their own broody coop until she laid her first egg and then reintroduced them back to the main flock and the rooster took over raising the chicks a week later. Once the first hen successfully raises hers chicks with the flock they all learn and don't bother with future clutches aside from curiosity at the sound of new peeps so they look but won't touch them cause they know mom or dad will get them if they do. I added a picture of my rooster with his babies crammed under and around him.

 

[schrephouse]

My experience has been the same as you've described. To avoid the crushed eggs I modified my nest boxes so 2 hens can fit comfortably with room to spare so while one is brooding the others hop up next to her and lay their eggs without a fight and then the broody will roll their unattended eggs under her so I just have to come out more often to collect the unmarked eggs.

I don't separate my rooster from the flock so when the chicks start hatching he comes in and watched the broody hen and keeps the other hens away. When momma takes her babies out in the beginning the other hens will try to get them but the rooster will watch them and if necessary he has grabbed and pinned the offending hens and they never bother the babies after that. Of course the momma hen does her part to protect her babies but it's nice that daddy rooster also does his part in it since I know not all roosters are like that. My hens tend to wean the chicks between 3-5 weeks old and then my rooster takes over from there until they are too big to fit under him and then roost next to him and after a month or so when they are about 2 1/2 months old he'll leave them and go back to the older hens. I did have to separate 1 broody because she was so aggressive with the rest of the flock around her babies that she accidentally trampled one to death trying to chase off the other hens so I moved her and her chicks to their own broody coop until she laid her first egg and then reintroduced them back to the main flock and the rooster took over raising the chicks a week later. Once the first hen successfully raises hers chicks with the flock they all learn and don't bother with future clutches aside from curiosity at the sound of new peeps so they look but won't touch them cause they know mom or dad will get them if they do. I added a picture of my rooster with his babies crammed under and around him.

Thank you for sharing. Today I opened everyone up and aside from the 2 mother hens putting eachother in check a little, it appears all is ok. I am nervous but trying not to interfere. I can't be down there watching all the time. One of the Aunt hens seems to want to hang around the mothers and chicks ALOT. My rooster has kept the other hens in check and has been good with all the chicks but he takes the flock up to their favorite free range areas several times a day leaving mother hens to care for chicks down by the runs. Fingers crossed still.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you for sharing. Today I opened everyone up and aside from the 2 mother hens putting eachother in check a little, it appears all is ok. I am nervous but trying not to interfere. I can't be down there watching all the time. One of the Aunt hens seems to want to hang around the mothers and chicks ALOT. My rooster has kept the other hens in check and has been good with all the chicks but he takes the flock up to their favorite free range areas several times a day leaving mother hens to care for chicks down by the runs. Fingers crossed still.

I don't separate either but the ones to worry about in my experience are not the roosters. When we have juveniles free ranging who get close to the older chickens, it's the hens that chase after them, and I saw a rooster actually scolding the hen that I last saw do this. She kept her eye on the youngsters as they ran off though. Since when don't hens just leave the protection job up to the roosters anyway lol.

 

[schrephouse]

UPDATE: Momma hen 'Hugs' has decided she is bored with her 19 day old chicks and choose to rejoin the flock. Tonight the temps are dropping to 58 so we made the decision to bring them up in brooder box in our garage where it is alot warmer. Will take them back in the morning to be with the flock, but worried because they are defenseless when the flock leaves them behind completely alone. We are a bit confused how best to handle this. The hens and rooster prefer perching in the run instead of the house and 2 chicks tried to get to mom tonight (see picture). These chickes are completely part of the flock. Non of the hens bully them.

Kisses mom and her chicks are still in the brooder with her own run. Doing great.

We might put Hugs chicks in brooder with its own run and let Kisses and her chicks out with the flock now. But a little concerned the same thing will happen.

Would love advise on how you might have handled a mom abandoning her chicks.

 

[Perris]

Wish I could advise, but none of mine have done that with chicks so young. Are you sure she's done with them for good, and not just taking a break?

 

[schrephouse]

Wish I could advise, but none of mine have done that with chicks so young. Are you sure she's done with them for good, and not just taking a break?

Last night she left them alone in the coop. Today she left them alone down by the run and went with the flock exploring most of the day. She isn't attending them at all. She again left them alone tonight. I might put her and the chicks into the brooder run and see if she has any interest tomorrow. We are having a colder than normal weather, highs in the 70's lows in the upper 50's. So for the sake of the chicks we brought them in for the night to be safe. I'm puzzled.

 

[Perris]

I'm guessing she's inexperienced at this. They don't all take to it like ducks to water - as indeed not all other animal (including human) mums are cut out for it.