Natural Brooding (questions!)

[TheChickenMomma]

Hi everybody

I haven't been active for a long while, but now I have a few questions about natural brooding.


So, I have a 4-7 year old (I'm not really sure of her age) Buff Orpington who has stopped laying eggs. She hasn't been laying for about a year. She has decided to go broody, and that is great for me! She is 'stealing' eggs from the other hens ( I don't think they mind) and placing them in *her* nesting box. Initially, I tried to break her broody habit, but then thought of letting her hatch me some babies.

This will be my first time hatching eggs. I do not have any experience with incubating eggs. I have read a lot about it, and I think I am knowable enough.... as you know, experience comes right after you need it. And ya'lls help would mean a lot.

I have experience raising chicks before. I raised them from a few days old, and now they are a year old ... their hatch day is March 16th. I keep track. Don't judge .



Anyway!

My questions :

Will she be a good mother?

She is an old chicken. I know she is having her 'momma' instincts kick in with the broodiness, but is it still possible that she abandons the chicks? Will she raise them correctly? I don't know. That's why I'm asking.

Will she stay broody?

I don't want her to have them incubating and healthy just to have her decide she doesn't want brood any more. Will she stay broody?

Do I have to worry about her raising them in the coop?

She stays in the coop with 7 other hens, and one rooster. They have a fairly large run, with enough sq. feet to have 27 chickens in the run and 19 in the coop. Will she be OK with the chicks in there, or should I isolate her?

What is the hatch rate for natural hatching?

Should I deal with taking away extra eggs, or just sell/give away the chicks that I dont want?

Do you have any other tips or stories to help me?

I would love to hear any tips or stories that you guys have!



And, that is pretty much it! Thanks in advance!


- TheChickenMomma

 

[Mountain Peeps]

 Hi everybody  

I haven't been active for a long while, but now I have a few questions about natural brooding. 


So, I have a 4-7 year old (I'm not really sure of her age) Buff Orpington who has stopped laying eggs. She hasn't been laying for about a year. She has decided to go broody, and that is great for me! She is 'stealing' eggs from the other hens ( I don't think they mind) and placing them in *her* nesting box. Initially, I tried to break her broody habit, but then thought of letting her hatch me some babies. 

This will be my first time hatching eggs. I do not have any experience with incubating eggs. I have read  a lot about it, and I think I am knowable enough.... as you know, experience comes right after you need it. And ya'lls help would mean a lot.

  I have experience raising chicks before. I raised them from a few days old, and now they are a year old ... their hatch day is March 16th. I keep track. Don't judge  . 



Anyway!

My questions :

Will she be a good mother? 

  She is an old chicken. I know she is having her 'momma' instincts kick in with the broodiness, but is it still possible that she abandons the chicks? Will she raise them correctly? I don't know. That's why I'm asking. 

Will she stay broody?

I don't want her to have them incubating and healthy just to have her decide she doesn't want brood any more. Will she stay broody? 

Do I have to worry about her raising them in the coop?

She stays in the coop with 7 other hens, and one rooster. They have a fairly large run, with enough sq. feet to have 27 chickens in the run and 19 in the coop. Will she be OK with the chicks in there, or should I isolate her? 

What is the hatch rate for natural hatching?

Should I deal with taking away extra  eggs, or just sell/give away the chicks that I dont want? 

Do you have any other tips or stories to help me?

I would love to hear any tips or stories that you guys have! 



And, that is pretty much it! Thanks in advance!


- TheChickenMomma 

To answer your questions: Yes, she will make a great mother. In fact older hens generally make better mothers than the young ones!

I don't know if she wil stay broody though:/

I would isolate them for about a week so that the chicks stay safer and they can really focus on bonding with mom.

I would give her all the eggs in case some of them don't hatch. Then you can just get rid of the chicks you don't want.

Good luck and remember to feed the mom the chick feed, not layer feed as this damages chicks' kidneys.

 

[TheChickenMomma]

Thank you!

I didnt know about the chick feed thing...


I would still like some more people to answer

 

[dragon bait]

what Mountain Peeps said

 

[TheChickenMomma]

Thanks for the agreement....

More tips and advice would be great! I need all the help I can get

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Need a crystal ball to answer a few of your questions! Mine aint working right now. lol


*Will she be a good mother? *
Nobody can answer that. Be prepared to hand raise them just in case.

*Will she stay broody?*
Nobody can answer that. Got an incubator just in case?

*Do I have to worry about her raising them in the coop?*
I separate mine so the other hens don't hurt the new chicks and not to have the chicks & adults eating each other's feed.

*What is the hatch rate for natural hatching?*
I usually hatch around 9/10. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

*Should I deal with taking away extra eggs, or just sell/give away the chicks that I dont want? *
Once she start sitting mark the clutch with a Sharpie and remove the additional eggs the other hens lay in her nest.

 

[TheChickenMomma]

I have a place where I can brood them, and I have an incubator (I got it from a friend) that I have never used .
I will defiantly be prepared to raise them myself!


Thanks!