Letting hens raise the chicks.

[mandyp]

I recently had 3 hens go broody. They are game hens. I don't want anymore game hens, so I bought Barred Rock, RIR, BCM, & Auracauna eggs to put under them. We are on day 9, everyone has stayed put, & the eggs are all candling fertile. Hubby is almost finished with a brooder coop/run that we plan to move them to. I plan on moving them at night to not agitate them too much. What Precautions do I need to take to keep them safe from predators? And do I need a light in the coop for heat if they are with the adult hens?

 

[monita]

i dont' have a light in with mine and the momma keeps them warm. but as for putting all the hens and all the babies in togeer... you might wanna keep a close eye on them. my game hens will pick on the other babies so i have to keep each momma seperated with her own babies until they are bigger. i have slipped all the babies in together with one momma before and they were all fine. i just would take 2 or 3 and slip them in with the one momma when they are roosting at night. that keeps them from fighting.

 

[mandyp]

I'm not planning on moving one of the hens with them. She is very aggressive toward the others & reaches over from her nest & pecks the other two constantly. She's also a lot bigger than the other 2. I've been sneaking her eggs away one at a time at night & giving them to the other 2. She only has 2 left right now & doesn't seem to notice. The other 2 are pretty mild mannered & one is actually half game, half sex link. The other is a full Pumkin Hulsey game hen and is very tame & sweet natured. They are going into a 4 by 3 hutch inside of a 10 by 20 run. I have biddy wire around the bottom & it is fully covered.