Let Nature take its Course? broody with chicks

[Aimeeroy]

Hello everyone First timer with baby chicks. I’ve got a successful adoption by my Barnvelder broody mama. of tractor supply chicks (2 black australorps and 1 Ameracauna). She’s been with them for 12 days now and things are moving quickly. Mother hen is used to free ranging during the day with my flock of 5. I was surprised to see she was eager to bring the baby chicks out at even three days old but I waited for a few more days and then let her out for an hour or so at the end of the day to free range with the flock.
We’ve been practicing for a couple of hours each day with supervision because if predators and our cats. So far the flock has been accepting with the usual behavior toward Momma hen who is at the bottom of the pecking order and mother hen is doing a good job of protecting.
They have been in a brooder inside the coop at night, but the last few nights Beverly (mama broody) has insisted on getting up into the main roost with a nesting box and calling her chicks over instead of going into the brooder. The baby chicks are unable to get up into the roost and so I have to keep moving mama back into the brooder. My question is should I let mother take her course. I can easily make a ramp for the baby chicks to climb in and she could lead them to the nesting box. She’s eager to integrate the babies it seems. And secondly how soon will baby chicks need to sit on a roost bar instead of going into the nest?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If I am reading your post correctly, you have 2 week old chicks. Generally that is a perfect time to integrate them in the flock. By now, they should be very fleet of foot and flying like little sparrows. That's a good time to integrate unless you start at day 1 (which has its risks...I personally know that can work like a charm, but I've also had significant "trickle" losses as various things happen to chicks...wandering off, predators, chilling).

But you've navigated those particularly vulnerable first 2 weeks already. I'd build the ramp and let the babies figure it out. Get a cup of coffee and watch momma teach them. Sometimes it goes ever so smoothly, but then you'll have the one that is not the brightest in the coop who just can't seem to follow up the ramp. LOL. Just make sure nobody gets stranded below. Sometimes it takes a couple of nights guidance to make sure everyone is on board.

How much you remain "hands off" really depends on your risk comfort. As stated, I've had main coop brooding from day one with absolute fabulous successes. However, other times, not so much. This spring, I've had a nightmare brood where 8 hatched but now I'm down to 3 from various daily events where I lost a chick a day: 3 chilled in first two days, 1 wandered off when it couldn't figure out the ramp (and I couldn't catch it...it went into the woodbox and was lost)...1 apparently was killed by a rat from the marks on its body. This was a painful loss for me, as I really wanted those female Cream Legbars, so I was very disappointed in this particular hen who has been stellar before. (Just about the time you think you've got it all figured out, the flock throws you a curve). So, I now have broody 2 in a side coop locked in with her 3 hatched Barnevelder that won't be allowed out until 2 weeks, after that particular vulnerability period. (I think the hen would go nuts if I tried to keep her cooped up longer than that, with the kids literally flying around her head.)

Do be aware that even at 2 weeks predator loss can happen. I've personally seen a hawk swoop down, grab a chicken take out (chick of about 2 weeks), and fly away.

So if you can't stand to see any loss whatsoever, then you'll need to continue to separately brood until about 4 weeks, which is when most hens begin to think of fledging.

At about 4 weeks to 6 weeks the chicks begin to roost with momma snuggled next to her on the roost. Again, grab a cup of coffee the first night and watch the antics as the babes figure out how to fly up and grab hold of the roost. Set out a little bar in the run for them to practice on (which is super cute to watch too). Eventually they get it. You can have some loss here if most of the babes make it but one is too afraid and huddles in the coop without warmth. I usually have a volunteer aunty choose to snuggle, but sometimes that doesn't happen. However, by then they are less prone to chilling as they should be mostly feathered in. So 4 week is pretty safe for integration....but you may have driven your broody hen nuts if she is in cramped quarters with them.

So assess your risk sensitivity. Letting a broody hatch and brood chicks is a wonderful experience, but it can have more risk than artificially brooding due to chilling and predators and stupid chick tricks (ie drowning in the adult waterer). (But then again, artificially brooding has its own different risk...fire hazard from lamp....I burned a coop down with heating lamp, which is why I went to broodies....difficult integration...hazing and pecking...etc.)

My thoughts and experiences,
LofMc

 

[NatJ]

the last few nights Beverly (mama broody) has insisted on getting up into the main roost with a nesting box and calling her chicks over instead of going into the brooder. The baby chicks are unable to get up into the roost and so I have to keep moving mama back into the brooder. My question is should I let mother take her course. I can easily make a ramp for the baby chicks to climb in and she could lead them to the nesting box.

Why can't the baby chicks get there? I don't know how long you have watched for, but sometimes baby chicks will mill around and peep until they suddenly realize they can jump or fly up to something. You might not have waited long enough for them to figure it out. Of course there are other times when the hen calls and the chicks really cannot get there yet, so they really might need help.

Ramps can be a problem for chickens of any age, because they have to walk away from the goal to start at the end of the ramp. Yes, they can learn, but it seems that just jumping straight up is more obvious to them.

Depending on how much height is needed, I might try one or two big steps instead of a ramp. Not like a staircase, but more like if a person steps up onto a chair and then up onto a table. Baby chicks can go pretty high from a young age (at least 6-12 inches by 2 weeks.) So a few cinder blocks or a stack of bricks or something similar might be enough.

 

[Aimeeroy]

If I am reading your post correctly, you have 2 week old chicks. Generally that is a perfect time to integrate them in the flock. By now, they should be very fleet of foot and flying like little sparrows. That's a good time to integrate unless you start at day 1 (which has its risks...I personally know that can work like a charm, but I've also had significant "trickle" losses as various things happen to chicks...wandering off, predators, chilling).

But you've navigated those particularly vulnerable first 2 weeks already. I'd build the ramp and let the babies figure it out. Get a cup of coffee and watch momma teach them. Sometimes it goes ever so smoothly, but then you'll have the one that is not the brightest in the coop who just can't seem to follow up the ramp. LOL. Just make sure nobody gets stranded below. Sometimes it takes a couple of nights guidance to make sure everyone is on board.

How much you remain "hands off" really depends on your risk comfort. As stated, I've had main coop brooding from day one with absolute fabulous successes. However, other times, not so much. This spring, I've had a nightmare brood where 8 hatched but now I'm down to 3 from various daily events where I lost a chick a day: 3 chilled in first two days, 1 wandered off when it couldn't figure out the ramp (and I couldn't catch it...it went into the woodbox and was lost)...1 apparently was killed by a rat from the marks on its body. This was a painful loss for me, as I really wanted those female Cream Legbars, so I was very disappointed in this particular hen who has been stellar before. (Just about the time you think you've got it all figured out, the flock throws you a curve). So, I now have broody 2 in a side coop locked in with her 3 hatched Barnevelder that won't be allowed out until 2 weeks, after that particular vulnerability period. (I think the hen would go nuts if I tried to keep her cooped up longer than that, with the kids literally flying around her head.)

Do be aware that even at 2 weeks predator loss can happen. I've personally seen a hawk swoop down, grab a chicken take out (chick of about 2 weeks), and fly away.

So if you can't stand to see any loss whatsoever, then you'll need to continue to separately brood until about 4 weeks, which is when most hens begin to think of fledging.

At about 4 weeks to 6 weeks the chicks begin to roost with momma snuggled next to her on the roost. Again, grab a cup of coffee the first night and watch the antics as the babes figure out how to fly up and grab hold of the roost. Set out a little bar in the run for them to practice on (which is super cute to watch too). Eventually they get it. You can have some loss here if most of the babes make it but one is too afraid and huddles in the coop without warmth. I usually have a volunteer aunty choose to snuggle, but sometimes that doesn't happen. However, by then they are less prone to chilling as they should be mostly feathered in. So 4 week is pretty safe for integration....but you may have driven your broody hen nuts if she is in cramped quarters with them.

So assess your risk sensitivity. Letting a broody hatch and brood chicks is a wonderful experience, but it can have more risk than artificially brooding due to chilling and predators and stupid chick tricks (ie drowning in the adult waterer). (But then again, artificially brooding has its own different risk...fire hazard from lamp....I burned a coop down with heating lamp, which is why I went to broodies....difficult integration...hazing and pecking...etc.)

My thoughts and experiences,
LofMc

Thank you so much for all the insight. I decided to keep them separate as things took a turn and Beverly decided to go back to the brooder. She is going nuts in the coop/ run, but I’m not ready to let them out without my supervision because we definitely have predators and we’ve only got 3 chick after losing one on the 3rd night. Hawks and my cats are the likely ones during daylight. So I’ll continue to let them out at the end of the day when I make sure the cats are in.
I will be sure to prep the roost before six weeks. I am enjoying watching Mama teach her babies.. so cute!

 

[Aimeeroy]

Why can't the baby chicks get there? I don't know how long you have watched for, but sometimes baby chicks will mill around and peep until they suddenly realize they can jump or fly up to something. You might not have waited long enough for them to figure it out. Of course there are other times when the hen calls and the chicks really cannot get there yet, so they really might need help.

Ramps can be a problem for chickens of any age, because they have to walk away from the goal to start at the end of the ramp. Yes, they can learn, but it seems that just jumping straight up is more obvious to them.

Depending on how much height is needed, I might try one or two big steps instead of a ramp. Not like a staircase, but more like if a person steps up onto a chair and then up onto a table. Baby chicks can go pretty high from a young age (at least 6-12 inches by 2 weeks.) So a few cinder blocks or a stack of bricks or something similar might be enough.

 

[Aimeeroy]

Hi Nat-
Thank you for the tips on ramps. I had observed this ramp problem (Having to go back to go forward) before when they we’re trying to get into the brooder which is about 6 inches off the ground. So I built a jump of sorts using bricks and rocks and they hop in. I just hadn’t got to the same idea for the roost yet. It’s significantly higher and the bars for roosting are too far apart. My hens even prefer jumping up into the door, but they do use the ramp to come out.
Anyway, Beverly the broody mama figured it out that they weren’t ready and took to the brooder again. Good mama

 

[Tram]

I lost 3 chicks in the main coop due to not having a safe place for them. Just two open nest boxes on the ground. They free range all day with mom but in the morning before I get out to open the door. They were killed by others.

Now using dog crates with small mesh around base.