Mixed flock keepers

[Donna et]

Hi I have a mixed flock of bantams including polish, silkies, salmon faverolles, lemon millefleur sablepoots and a couple of odd bantams possibly pekins they all share a shed that has 4 coops and a few nesting boxes and roosting perches and they all get on absolutely fine. My question is 1 of the hens has gone broody and is sitting in one of the nesting boxes and I wanted to know when these little ones hatch do I allow them to do there own thing or do I have to cage an area of for mum and chicks to bond first before she let's them out to mix with the others. This will be our 1st hatch so not sure what to expect. Thank you for any advice in advance

 

[DobieLover]

I don't allow broodies to hatch in nest boxes.

Once they are in healed-in-hard broody mode, I move them to a broody nest with FAKE eggs. They get kept in the special area I built for brooding mothers. They can be locked in but still are in full view of the flock. You could do something similar by using a large wire dog crate wrapped in chicken wire so she can see out the the flock can see her but she can't get away from the new nest. You have to manage her broody breaks and let her out once or twice daily to eat, drink and poop. I do keep water in with the mother but she otherwise leaves the nest for defecation and eating.

Then once she is routinely going back to the correct nest to brood, you give her MARKED fertile eggs to hatch and leave the door to her crate open. The nest is inspected daily to remove any eggs deposited by others to prevent a staggered hatch.

I allow the broody mother to decide when to leave but she gets visitors during her incubation.

I wrote an article detailing how I manage a broody hen.

 

[Donna et]

I don't allow broodies to hatch in nest boxes.

Once they are in healed-in-hard broody mode, I move them to a broody nest with FAKE eggs. They get kept in the special area I built for brooding mothers. They can be locked in but still are in full view of the flock. You could do something similar by using a large wire dog crate wrapped in chicken wire so she can see out the the flock can see her but she can't get away from the new nest. You have to manage her broody breaks and let her out once or twice daily to eat, drink and poop. I do keep water in with the mother but she otherwise leaves the nest for defecation and eating.

Then once she is routinely going back to the correct nest to brood, you give her MARKED fertile eggs to hatch and leave the door to her crate open. The nest is inspected daily to remove any eggs deposited by others to prevent a staggered hatch.

I allow the broody mother to decide when to leave but she gets visitors during her incubation.
View attachment 3044206

I wrote an article detailing how I manage a broody hen.

Thank you for this info she must be half way through the hatch time now. I'm going to read your article to see what I can change for the better.

 

[Donna et]

I don't allow broodies to hatch in nest boxes.

Once they are in healed-in-hard broody mode, I move them to a broody nest with FAKE eggs. They get kept in the special area I built for brooding mothers. They can be locked in but still are in full view of the flock. You could do something similar by using a large wire dog crate wrapped in chicken wire so she can see out the the flock can see her but she can't get away from the new nest. You have to manage her broody breaks and let her out once or twice daily to eat, drink and poop. I do keep water in with the mother but she otherwise leaves the nest for defecation and eating.

Then once she is routinely going back to the correct nest to brood, you give her MARKED fertile eggs to hatch and leave the door to her crate open. The nest is inspected daily to remove any eggs deposited by others to prevent a staggered hatch.

I allow the broody mother to decide when to leave but she gets visitors during her incubation.
View attachment 3044206

I wrote an article detailing how I manage a broody hen.

So now my hen has been in eggs for at least half the hatch time can I still move her and the eggs or is it to late.

 

[DobieLover]

So now my hen has been in eggs for at least half the hatch time can I still move her and the eggs or is it to late.

Too late.
Did you mark them to make sure no one adds eggs to the nest causing a staggered hatch?

 

[Donna et]

Too late.
Did you mark them to make sure no one adds eggs to the nest causing a staggered hatch?

Yes they don't seem to be going near. The Nest is in a corner so have put a large dog crate around it just not sure how to add some water inside the nest. So just trying to work that out.

 

[DobieLover]

Yes they don't seem to be going near. The Nest is in a corner so have put a large dog crate around it just not sure how to add some water inside the nest. So just trying to work that out.

Make a bottle like I did and hang it. I got the bottle for $0.75 at a thrift shop and got a package of vertical nipples from TSC.