NY chicken lover!!!!

[Sweetpea3829]

More broody questions...

I've never done this before...lol.

If I move her to a more optimal location, will it upset her to the point of not setting on her eggs?

Currently, she is nesting in one of my upper nest boxes. Its fine for setting but...when the chicks hatch, would they fall out of the nest? There's a pretty good lip on the edge but...not high enough to keep a chick from hopping up and falling off.

I know somebody here once said that they put food and water in with their broodies. I brought her a small cup of water and she eagerly drank from it. She also eagerly ate the food I put up there. Course...putting food in there meant other hens decided THEY wanted to be in there, too.

If I didn't want her to set right now, could I just give her a chick or two?

If she hatches chicks, will she be able to protect them from the full size birds in the flock? Or should I really have her on the other side of my coop? (This was originally the plan except...currently the other side of the coop is full of 5 week old chicks).

Thanks for any help answering my questions! I'm kind of excited to have a broody...I know most folks don't want their birds to go broody but...we have too many eggs as it is and the eggs I'm putting under her were eggs I was not successful hatching in the incubator this last time around (olive eggers).

 

[rancher hicks]

. I know this is no chicken but I had to share her we just had her, Serenity Hope Gleason

CONGRATS. DD. Just had a girl the 6th

 

[rancher hicks]

Looks like a have an outbreak here...A broody outbreak... Welcome to Broody Central... Can't wait till the picnic to see if I can find any cool eggs to give to them! Until then I'll give them a few eggs of mine. I have been thinking that I needed to make a few more of my little broody coops...guess I need to get cracking on it cause the nest boxes are all filled up!..There must be something in the water here cause I have one of my magpies broody too. The Delaware rooster that I got from Rancher has started crowing..sounds like a kazoo...I have decided to name him "Rancher" [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]

x. DD. Says she has hens going bloody . For the Maryland I told her to wait. Til two weeks before I come home and then give the hen some eggs. Luv, hope all is well.

 

[rancher hicks]

That,s bloody. And Marans, not Maryland

 

[myfivegirls]

More broody questions...

I've never done this before...lol.

If I move her to a more optimal location, will it upset her to the point of not setting on her eggs?
It could, but if done at night and the new nest is kept dark, she may keep sitting.

Currently, she is nesting in one of my upper nest boxes. Its fine for setting but...when the chicks hatch, would they fall out of the nest? There's a pretty good lip on the edge but...not high enough to keep a chick from hopping up and falling off.
One of the things I've done is blocked the hen in the nesting box, letting her out, usually 1x (or more, but not necessary) per day to eliminate, etc.
Then, once the chicks hatch, I moved her to where I wanted her to brood the chicks. This usually goes pretty smooth, as there's less of a chance for
her to get upset by being moved when just sitting on the eggs. But once the chicks are hatched, she'll go wherever they are.
I've done this on numerous occasions, especially since some hens are determined to only sit in the original nesting box they started in.

I know somebody here once said that they put food and water in with their broodies. I brought her a small cup of water and she eagerly drank from it. She also eagerly ate the food I put up there. Course...putting food in there meant other hens decided THEY wanted to be in there, too.
Yes, I usually try to put food and water with the hens, if there's room & they won't knock it over.
Othertimes, I just let them out when I feed everyone else, and they eat, drink & poop; then, head back to the nesting box.
I usually wait to just make sure she goes back to the right nest, or if she's taking too long, I'll catch her & put her back.
If the nesting box is blocked off with hardware cloth or a metal dog crate door - then the other hens can't get in there & the chicks won't be able to fall out.

If I didn't want her to set right now, could I just give her a chick or two?
It can be done, but not all hens will adopt chicks. Again, it's best done at night when it's dark or make sure to cover the nesting box so it's completely dark in there for at least 8 hours.
But, sometimes hens won't accept chicks, so you have to prepared to take them back from her if she starts pecking them and won't stop.
Some hens will peck them a few times, but it's usually to "discipline" them & tell them who's boss. If they learn and respond, then they often get accepted.

If she hatches chicks, will she be able to protect them from the full size birds in the flock?
Yes, most hens will protect their young - some are better at it and others if they're already low on pecking order, don't do as good of a job since they themselves are "low".

Or should I really have her on the other side of my coop? (This was originally the plan except...currently the other side of the coop is full of 5 week old chicks).
Depends on your situation and how the hen reacts to the other chickens when the chicks hatch. I've successfully raised several broody hens in with the rest of the flock.
Sometimes I just put the hen & chicks in a small plastic pet crate, for a day or two, let start letting them out in the coop during the day, locking them back up at night.
The only thing that I've found challenging about this is the food issue. For the chicks to grow the best, they need to be on chick starter. Of course, the other laying hens
know it's "good stuff" and help themselves to it. But, there's several options of how to deal with this:
1. Switch everyone to a higher-protein "flock raiser" & just supplement the hens with oyster shell or crushed egg shells their needed for calcium.
2. Feed the broody hens and chick separately, while keeping the layers on their own feed. And yes, adults can eat out of those chick feeders, so that won't stop them.
One method is for the chicks to have a separate area where only they can fit through to go & eat - such as that pet carrier with the door wired partially open.
Or, a "creep feeder" - basically a table or box with slats that the chicks can squeeze through, but the hens can't reach their necks through to reach the food. Such as this:

(not my images - found on Pinterest) - I have to build a couple myself, as they'd be handy right now!



Thanks for any help answering my questions! I'm kind of excited to have a broody...I know most folks don't want their birds to go broody but...we have too many eggs as it is and the eggs I'm putting under her were eggs I was not successful hatching in the incubator this last time around (olive eggers).

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Thank-you! This was very helpful.

 

[Pyxis]

I am loving that slat feeder idea. You may have just solved my problem of how to keep the hens out of the game bird starter I'm going to have to put down for my guinea keets.

 

[mdmcare]

I live south of Buffalo, come up to Spring ville to shop. I have ducks and a pond and could take the little duck.

I live in north tonawanda so that's not far at all. I use to live in south buffalo. I know they are illegal to have since the little ones wild but only thinking of what would be best

 

[myfivegirls]

I am loving that slat feeder idea. You may have just solved my problem of how to keep the hens out of the game bird starter I'm going to have to put down for my guinea keets.

Yes, I search for HOURS awhile ago trying to find if someone had made what I had in mind - and I finally found it! So, I quickly pinned it, so I could find it again.
Now, I just have to make some, as I have a broody hen that wants to start taking her chicks out, but the hens will steal their food if I do.

So, I don't know how it'll work yet, but I'm guessing it will as long as the hens can't reach their heads in and pull the feeder closer to them with their beaks!
I tried using a small metal dog crate last year, and those smart hens just reached their heads through and still ate the feed!
Meanwhile, sometimes the chicks couldn't figure how to get in or out, so I'm hoping this design is better.

 

[mdmcare]

If you do, be careful to keep it to yourself and don't tell people where you got it. Technically it is illegal to own her since she came out of the wild. I'm not sure why a rescue place would tell them to take it to the SPCA, but better it has a home than it starves to death since apparently the rescue won't take it. Also make sure to keep her wings clipped when she gets older or she could fly off and die.

I have no idea why they told me the SPCA. I was shocked. I will not send any animal there to sit in a tiny cage and possibly never find a home or die. So now it's looking for the next best option. My son is not happy with me at all for trying to find it a home since we all have already fell in love!