Not sure what to do with broody hens?

[KrystalRose]

Here are the pics of the first 4 as best as I could get. Mom doesn't like cameras very much so I have to be sneaky. Chick 5 and 6 are still drying off under mom. Egg 7 hasn't pipped into the air sac yet as far as I can see, not sure if I should pull it at this point since it will be so far behind or wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Chick 2 (on the left) Chick 1 (on the right)

Chick 3 - hard to see but face has a lot of yellow and a some brown on wing tips, must be a BO mom?

Chick 4 - my lightest chick, she wouldn't let me get a face shot, but it is lighter than the body.

 

[buzzannie]

So cute!! We have a hen that seems to be going broody. My kids are so excited, so I'm doing research now before we assemble a clutch!
There seems to be so much to learn.

 

[KrystalRose]

I hope you have good luck with your broody buzzannie. I hope you can learn from my clumsy attempt at this for the first time. Keep us posted on your progress with your broody. I don't mind other broody stories on my thread, I think it good if we can all learn from each other.

I have learned:
- Make sure mom is dedicated
- Put all eggs under at the same time
- Separate mom, preferably in a place where the flock can still see her and the chicks for easier introduction, but that is also semi-private and dark at least while sitting on eggs.
- Give mom chick food for higher protein and lower calcium. Scratch is always welcome too.
- Candle eggs at 2 weeks to weed out any bad ones, mom wont always do it.
- Make sure mom is eating/ drinking/ pooing at least every couple days so she doesn't get too weak.

I am still not sure at what age I am going to try to introduce them, I am debating between 1-2 weeks old and 8 weeks old. I guess I will play that out after seeing what they do when they can see each other through the screen door for a couple days next week.

I haven't figured out what feed I want them to be on yet, I have them on 1/2 organic, 1/2 medicated feed but I probably need to pick one and stay with it. I don't like the idea of medicated feed but I have had a lot of trouble with my other hens with cocci in my soil. They are in a closed covered pen and only get organic feed so the soil is the only place I can think they could be getting the cocci. But the adult hens I have were vaccinated as chicks from the hatchery. I am thinking that maybe with a couple weeks of medicated along with moms poo to get their immune systems up and going may be a good thing? Advice is welcome on this.

 

[aart]

They are adorable, nice pics too!
Might want to crush up that crumble a bit, into smaller pieces.


I took down the partition wall separating broody and chicks from flock when chicks were 2 weeks old.
No problem with flock attacking chicks but mama keeps getting in vicious fights with other hens over the feeders.

 

[KrystalRose]

The adult feeders or chick feeders? I have 12 places for my adults to eat, so between the 16 of them they don't seem to have a problem, but I could maybe see them fighting over chick feed as they like crumble more than the pellets I give them. They just eat through the crumble too fast and it gets lost in the dirt. I have two of the long chick feeders plus a smaller stand up quart jar feeder so maybe if I put them all out I could avoid the crazy?

There is smaller, almost powdery crumble in the mix you just cant see because it settles on the bottom, they manage to pick through and find what they want.

 

[KrystalRose]

7 out of 7 have hatched. YAY!

 

[AlwaysForever]

How exciting!

 

[aart]

7 out of 7 have hatched. YAY!

Sweet! Congrats!

I'm not much for 'cute' stuff but pics of chicks and puppies always get my 'Awwwww' going!

 

[KrystalRose]

Well, chicken math wins again, 3 feed store EE chicks later my other broody Buff Orp has become the mama she always wanted to be. I will try to get some new family photos today. I am thinking after I clean the main coop today, putting up the screen door to keep out the other hens while I give the mama and babies run of the coop to stretch their legs as my EE mom is getting a little restless in the box. I will have to wait till it warms up though. It got down to like 18 degrees last night, 55 degrees in the mama/babies room.

 

[KrystalRose]

Here are my 7 home brewed chicks. I was finally able to get them all in one picture, well sort of, two are trying to run away.


Here are my 3 feed store adoptees with their new mama. In the second picture doesn't she look like she is saying "Who knew sitting on eggs would lead to this?" She has definitely adopted them at this point. And they are starting to learn the chicken language from her.