Letting mom raise her chicks...

[Penpal]

It may work better to let Mama have a nest on the ground. Once they fall out of the nest a few feet up they may get hurt. It will also not be possible for them to get back up.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It may work better to let Mama have a nest on the ground. Once they fall out of the nest a few feet up they may get hurt. It will also not be possible for them to get back up.

One of our hens had chicks in a nest about 3 feet up. We found her on the floor with the chicks, everybody was fine. There's bedding on the floor of the coop that cushioned their fall. They don't need to get back up. Mama will huddle with them in a corner and that will be their new home. Trust Mama, she knows what to do.

 

[Jamminjen]

Relax! Mom's got this. She'll take the chicks out of the nest in a day or two and make a new spot for them on the floor. She'll protect them and keep them safe and warm. What kind of food is available? If it's a layer feed I suggest you replace it with something like a grower or starter feed that does not contain calcium, it's suitable for your older birds as well. Just provide calcium for them in the form of oyster shell in a separate dish. All will be well.

We've raised chicks in the house for years. Once I saw how easy it is to let Mama do it, I'll never go back! I just hope I'll always be blessed with a broody hen when I need one!

I have a broody hen who just hatched 2 of the 10 eggs she's been sitting on. One died while trying to hatch. The 2 who hatched keep leaving the nesting box so she has to leave the eggs to get them. Idk if theres any hope in the remaining eggs hatching. My previous chicks I fed flock raiser unmedicated and kept them inside and clean. I want momma to do it this time so chicks will be outside with the flock. Do they need flockraiser medicated? I keep straw for bedding in the coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

My previous chicks I fed flock raiser unmedicated and kept them inside and clean. I want momma to do it this time so chicks will be outside with the flock. Do they need flockraiser medicated? I keep straw for bedding in the coop.

No need for medicated, but it would be a good idea to have Corid on hand just in case. Exposure to outdoor conditions can help strengthen chick immune systems.

 

[Karen Glatz]

Best news is that she will integrate them into the flock for you as well. Let her in with the rest of the flock pretty quickly. She'll protect them and you won't even have to worry about weeks long integration strategies.

 

[FlockVillemaire]

It may work better to let Mama have a nest on the ground. Once they fall out of the nest a few feet up they may get hurt. It will also not be possible for them to get back up.

I had been worried about that ramp height when I let my 2 Olive Eggers team hatch a brood this summer right inside the shared raised coop nest boxes. (I have more in the covered run they all have access to all the time.) They learned very quickly to get back up the ramp, but I had to attach some hardware cloth for them to get traction on.

 

[Anon112]

Best news is that she will integrate them into the flock for you as well. Let her in with the rest of the flock pretty quickly. She'll protect them and you won't even have to worry about weeks long integration strategies.

Exactly. They aren't "new", they're part of the crew. My rooster also did a nice job of being a "single dad" a few times.

My only concern was when I realized one chick was a rooster, just being nervous about when/if the dominant rooster might start seeing him as competition and not a baby.

 

[FlockVillemaire]

Exactly. They aren't "new", they're part of the crew. My rooster also did a nice job of being a "single dad" a few times.

My only concern was when I realized one chick was a rooster, just being nervous about when/if the dominant rooster might start seeing him as competition and not a baby.

It depends, since I assume they are already perfectly flock integrated? on if you have enough hens (AND SPACE!) for them to not need to compete. [Look for minimum hen numbers for your rooster breed) The father already has dominance, and his son will simply comply for at least some time. (He will even wait till after dad has finished his morning crow before he starts his own.) I am so far succeeding with keeping 3 of my first time dad 1yo BCM Nico's fast maturing gorgeous cockerel sons with all their rambunctious nearly full sized teenager hormones, in the same coop. I do have plenty of hens (27 mature + 9 pullets) for them and they are not fighting, just good-natured sporting competition & hen chasing between the 3 half-bros, at least so far. They get to free range on pasture all day, so lots of space to get out of eachother's way, lots of trees/shrubs to maneuver around also. I hope it continues to work this well, but would not try any more. And I will be carefully watching for potential behavioral changes over time.

Nico is not seeing his 3 son's as competition, but is grumpy with his first full molt!

I would guess that a single young cockerel would be much easier to raise together with dad than the 3 cockerels I've kept, since he won't try to compete with dad. Just make sure of space & hen numbers.

 

[Anon112]

It depends, since I assume they are already perfectly flock integrated? on if you have enough hens (AND SPACE!) for them to not need to compete. [Look for minimum hen numbers for your rooster breed) The father already has dominance, and his son will simply comply for at least some time. (He will even wait till after dad has finished his morning crow before he starts his own.) I am so far succeeding with keeping 3 of my first time dad 1yo BCM Nico's fast maturing gorgeous cockerel sons with all their rambunctious nearly full sized teenager hormones, in the same coop. I do have plenty of hens (27 mature + 9 pullets) for them and they are not fighting, just good-natured sporting competition & hen chasing between the 3 half-bros, at least so far. They get to free range on pasture all day, so lots of space to get out of eachother's way, lots of trees/shrubs to maneuver around also. I hope it continues to work this well, but would not try any more. And I will be carefully watching for potential behavioral changes over time.

Nico is not seeing his 3 son's as competition, but is grumpy with his first full molt!

I would guess that a single young cockerel would be much easier to raise together with dad than the 3 cockerels I've kept, since he won't try to compete with dad. Just make sure of space & hen numbers.

The only issue currently is a deficit in hen numbers (2 roosters, 10 hens), so I've built two adjoining runs. They are separated (but can see each other) during the day, and when I'm home they free range together. (There has been no fighting, only gentle discipline from dad when Popcorn is too aggressive with the hens). More hens doesn't feel like a great idea now, so I'll keep up this routine for now.

 

[FlockVillemaire]

The only issue currently is a deficit in hen numbers (2 roosters, 10 hens), so I've built two adjoining runs. They are separated (but can see each other) during the day, and when I'm home they free range together. (There has been no fighting, only gentle discipline from dad when Popcorn is too aggressive with the hens). More hens doesn't feel like a great idea now, so I'll keep up this routine for now.

10 hens might be enough for 2 closely related roos for some breeds? What breed are they?