- Jun 2, 2013
- 8
- 0
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Sorry if this has been asked and answered already, but I could not find the info if it has.
I'm a newby, and we're doing well for the last few months.
I'm in Costa Rica and have a small flock of layers.
I need a few more, and my sources for more layers are all out.
So, we "rented" a rooster, he got busy with our layers and long story short, we have 14 fertilized eggs.
None of the layers were at all interested in brooding, so we brought the eggs to a neighbors chicken who was ready to brood, and who has been sitting on them.
We're about a week away from hatching, if all goes well, and here is my idea.
The neighbor is willing to sell us her brooding hen who is sitting on the eggs.
If we get her....can we have her in the general population with our layers?
I ask because it would be so much easier to not have to build another structure for them
We do have plenty of predators here, snakes, raccoons,large iguanas and maybe even a ocelot or other wild cats.
Our flock is free range during the day, and we've had zero problems.
I do lock them all up at night.
We do not have a rooster.
Can I keep the new Mama hen and the coming chicks in this situation?
I could keep her locked up for the first while, while the chicks do some growing...if so, for how long?
Also, how likely is it that the laying hens would bully the new chicks?
The layers all seem to be pretty chilled out, and all still have all of their feathers, so there is no aggressiveness going on between them.
I hate to say it, but I don't imagine that all of the chicks will make it, I realize that, but I want to do our best.
Any questions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
I'm a newby, and we're doing well for the last few months.
I'm in Costa Rica and have a small flock of layers.
I need a few more, and my sources for more layers are all out.
So, we "rented" a rooster, he got busy with our layers and long story short, we have 14 fertilized eggs.
None of the layers were at all interested in brooding, so we brought the eggs to a neighbors chicken who was ready to brood, and who has been sitting on them.
We're about a week away from hatching, if all goes well, and here is my idea.
The neighbor is willing to sell us her brooding hen who is sitting on the eggs.
If we get her....can we have her in the general population with our layers?
I ask because it would be so much easier to not have to build another structure for them
We do have plenty of predators here, snakes, raccoons,large iguanas and maybe even a ocelot or other wild cats.
Our flock is free range during the day, and we've had zero problems.
I do lock them all up at night.
We do not have a rooster.
Can I keep the new Mama hen and the coming chicks in this situation?
I could keep her locked up for the first while, while the chicks do some growing...if so, for how long?
Also, how likely is it that the laying hens would bully the new chicks?
The layers all seem to be pretty chilled out, and all still have all of their feathers, so there is no aggressiveness going on between them.
I hate to say it, but I don't imagine that all of the chicks will make it, I realize that, but I want to do our best.
Any questions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
