Moving a setting hen?

[Avens Avians]

Very helpful thread; thanks!

 

[brairgirl]

New question: I let my chickens free range during the day and they sleep in a coop at night. Should I keep the baby chicks and the mama in the pen for a few weeks or let mama show them around from day one. They have a lot of places to hide from hawks.

We have snakes and everything around here, so I don't allow even the 6 week olds out.

Especially after seeing a 5 ft Rat Snake!

 

[Cass]

New question: I let my chickens free range during the day and they sleep in a coop at night. Should I keep the baby chicks and the mama in the pen for a few weeks or let mama show them around from day one. They have a lot of places to hide from hawks.

You are over thinking this. Chickens have been chickens a lot longer than people have kept chickens in coops. The Momma probably won't even try to take the chicks out for 48-72 hours from the first chick's hatching. When she does, they will be ready to follow her around. She may or may not take them out of the actual coop for several days. My current broody stayed in the coop for 3 days, then took them out....so the babies were 6 days old when they first felt grass on their toes. She did require help getting them back into the coop the first couple of days...not because she was a bad momma but because one of the chicks wouldn't follow her clucks into the coop and she wouldn't go back out to get the chick that was left behind because the other chicks were already in the coop with her.

how big of a space do you have to provide for a broody? would an old large dog crate work?

Yes. Plenty of space. You might want to consider putting something around the lower edge of the crate if it is the kind with vertical slats that the chicks can get through. (And I have had chicks get through the holes in chicken wire, so don't think they won't try. LOL)

I once had a broody in a small rabbit cage for the first 3 days after hatch. Then I opened the door and let her go in and out with her brood as she wish. (Bantam hen, full sized chicks, was too cute, but got tight very fast. LOL)

 

[Cass]

We have snakes and everything around here, so I don't allow even the 6 week olds out.

Especially after seeing a 5 ft Rat Snake!

EEEKKK!!! I wouldn't be out there myself with a snake that large wandering about.

 

[brairgirl]

EEEKKK!!! I wouldn't be out there myself with a snake that large wandering about.

I am pretty sure it ate one of the chicks, Gooseberry (dissappeared a couple of weeks ago), small enough for a snake that large to eat him.
So I may have been taking a little bit of my anger out on the snake, I think I mainly got his tail though. I don't even think I got his head!

 

[Cass]

I am pretty sure it ate one of the chicks, Gooseberry (dissappeared a couple of weeks ago), small enough for a snake that large to eat him.
So I may have been taking a little bit of my anger out on the snake, I think I mainly got his tail though. I don't even think I got his head!

I have had 2 chicks, from 2 different hatches, disappear off the face of the earth from a coop that a MOUSE can't get in. It's predator proof. I strongly suspect that the chickens killed those 2 and ate them. Both of them were the runts of the hatch...so they may have died of natural causes and then been eaten. No way to know.

I hope you get that snake, just cuz it might have eaten your chick....but don't kill them all or you will be overrun with rodents and chicken feed draws rodents, so you don't want that.

I know I have snakes around here and I just leave them alone, hoping they will eat any mice that are trying to get into my coop. (I have hardware cloth covered with dirt as the bottom of my run so they can't even burrow in.)

 

[rapunzel162]

My neighbors just sold off all their chickens. The kids found a broody hen, up high on bales of hay. I Bought her, and the eggs. Shes an Old English Game hen. I went to get her at night. Put a towel over her. And Imoved her eggs to nice hay, in a dog kennel. Brought her home quick, and put her on her eggs, still with the towel on, for a few minutes. I covered the kennel, with a light blanket. I left her in there for one day, with the door locked. Now I have pads, all over my very large laundry room, and she can get out to poo. And shes going right back in. I offer her different foods everyday, but shes not eatting much. But doing fine , and still sitting. Ive used this process many times over the years. But Know that there is the hen that may just leave the eggs. Theres no sure thing on this. Best of luck to you.

 

[dpuleo]

You are over thinking this.  Chickens have been chickens a lot longer than people have kept chickens in coops.  The Momma probably won't even try to take the chicks out for 48-72 hours from the first chick's hatching.  When she does, they will be ready to follow her around.   She may or may not take them out of the actual coop for several days.   My current broody stayed in the coop for 3 days, then took them out....so the babies were 6 days old when they first felt grass on their toes.   She did require help getting them back into the coop the first couple of days...not because she was a bad momma but because one of the chicks wouldn't follow her clucks into the coop and she wouldn't go back out to get the chick that was left behind because the other chicks were already in the coop with her.
Yes.  Plenty of space.   You might want to consider putting something around the lower edge of the crate if it is the kind with vertical slats that the chicks can get through.  (And I have had chicks get through the holes in chicken wire, so don't think they won't try. LOL)

I once had a broody in a small rabbit cage for the first 3 days after hatch.  Then I opened the door and let her go in and out with her brood as she wish.  (Bantam hen, full sized chicks, was too cute, but got tight very fast. LOL)

Ok I am over thinking this . I just want to be a good chicken mama. Thank you for your advice it has helped.

 

[rapunzel162]

PS I used to have chickens that KILLED snakes. The would even eat them. Garter snakes. I hate snakes as well.We have a lot of Oyster farms her and I used to get the shells and break them up and put them around the chicken pen. Snakes will NOT CROSS these sharp shells. They get cut. They are razor sharp. It also works for anything you dont want slugs to get into. It cuts them as well. I had a grown hen kill a 1 1/2 foot garter snake once. I couldnt believe it. She and other hens ate it. I hope this helps.

 

[Dylon]

Ok I am over thinking this . I just want to be a good chicken mama. Thank you for your advice it has helped.

You might have losses from predators and such, but it is so cool watching the hen take them around and explore the world