OEGB - broodiness, personality, egg-laying, maturity?

[TopazMaster91]

WARNING: FLUFFER CUTENESS ALERT!

BEWARE OF HEART PALPITATIONS AND HIGH HAPPINESS LEVELS!

Gracie girl is such a good mommy

Edit: I wonder if the father of all the fluffers will be proud? Lol

 

[JaeG]

They sure are adorable!

 

[TopazMaster91]

Video of the fluffers :3

 

[TopazMaster91]

I just realized, the genetic mother of three of the chicks (the ones with furry legs) is our white frizzled bantam cochin, so there is a chance of some of the babies having frizzled feathers! Ah that would be too cute! We shall see

 

[TopazMaster91]

Holy crap, we have a problem!
So due to a mixture of laziness and inability to reach, we had left the two eggs that didn't hatch in the area Gracie + babies are in. We were going to take them out today. Anyway, our Polish's eggs are never fertilized because our tiny Japanese bantam dude always misses the mark (not for a lack of trying), and the other egg was just a dud.
Well, today, days after all her chicks hatch, the freaking Polish egg hatched?!
She wasn't even sitting on it anymore, for days!
So anyway, there is now a snow white colored LF Polish x Japanese Bantam crossbreed chick peeping away, and Gracie doesn't want it! Probably because it's too young compared to her other chicks and too different looking. Every time it would cheep and try to go under her, she'd growl and lightly peck it away. Not hurting it, but definitely not accepting it.
So now we have a random spare chick and no idea what to do!
We have another broody who won't snap out of it, been broody for like a month and a half, but the problem is that broody is in the main coop, where all the chickens lay their eggs, and we have no spare extra coop or area we could put this broody if we slipped her the chick tonight. So...in your experience, will she do okay with the chick even if not separated from the general population? It just makes me nervous, because I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on them all day, and I don't want to be the cause behind the cause of death of this adorable mutt chick! Help anyone?

 

[NatJ]

Anyway, our Polish's eggs are never fertilized because our tiny Japanese bantam dude always misses the mark (not for a lack of trying)... the freaking Polish egg hatched?!

I'm thinking that rooster hit the mark this time

I would not expect a hen to do well raising a chick in the pen with the others, unless the pen is VERY big. The most recent time I had a broody raising chicks, she wanted all the other birds to stay at least 10 feet away from her babies--which is impossible in most sizes of coop. So the chick might do fine, but I'd worry about the rest of the flock!

Do you have a spare piece of chicken wire, to separate off one corner for the broody and chick? Or a dog crate? Because I agree that giving the chick to that hen sounds like a very good idea.

 

[TopazMaster91]

I'm thinking that rooster hit the mark this time

I would not expect a hen to do well raising a chick in the pen with the others, unless the pen is VERY big. The most recent time I had a broody raising chicks, she wanted all the other birds to stay at least 10 feet away from her babies--which is impossible in most sizes of coop. So the chick might do fine, but I'd worry about the rest of the flock!

Do you have a spare piece of chicken wire, to separate off one corner for the broody and chick? Or a dog crate? Because I agree that giving the chick to that hen sounds like a very good idea.

Yes, he definitely did, for once XD
The problem is,
the coop has tons of roosting space, and 6 boxes, but isn't very big (5x6ft).
The run however, is fairly big (20x16ft or so). So I can't section off a part of the coop, not without making it much smaller and harder for the hens to navigate.
I DO have a small dog cage, maybe 2x4ft but it would only fit in the run,
plus I could stick it underneath the metal roofed part of the run for shelter.
Only thing is the bars are a bit wide, I'd need to do something to it near the bottom to make sure the chick wouldn't be able to squeeze through.
Would something like that work? I don't love the idea of the chick and broody being stuck in a cage outside the coop, but if it's the only option, eh...

 

[NatJ]

the coop has tons of roosting space, and 6 boxes, but isn't very big (5x6ft).
The run however, is fairly big (20x16ft or so). So I can't section off a part of the coop, not without making it much smaller and harder for the hens to navigate.
I DO have a small dog cage, maybe 2x4ft but it would only fit in the run,
plus I could stick it underneath the metal roofed part of the run for shelter.
Only thing is the bars are a bit wide, I'd need to do something near the bottom to make sure the chick wouldn't be able to squeeze through.
Would something like that work? I don't love the idea of the chick and broody being stuck in a cage outside the coop, but if it's the only option, eh...

I would put the broody and chick in the cage, at least for a few days. Then you could try letting them mingle with the rest and see how it goes. For making sure the chick cannot squeeze through the bars: hardware cloth, window screen, cheesecloth, tulle, piece of fabric, cardboard.... I'm thinking it only needs to secure enough to keep a chick from walking through, so even flimsy materials could work. Being see-through might be better than solid, so the hen/chick/other birds can get used to seeing each other close but not a threat; but of course you will have to work with what's available to you.

 

[TopazMaster91]

I would put the broody and chick in the cage, at least for a few days. Then you could try letting them mingle with the rest and see how it goes. For making sure the chick cannot squeeze through the bars: hardware cloth, window screen, cheesecloth, tulle, piece of fabric, cardboard.... I'm thinking it only needs to secure enough to keep a chick from walking through, so even flimsy materials could work. Being see-through might be better than solid, so the hen/chick/other birds can get used to seeing each other close but not a threat; but of course you will have to work with what's available to you.

Great suggestions, I'm going to try to make this idea work.
I really hope the broody accepts the chick, there's no good reason she shouldn't, it's just newly born, less than a full day old I'm positive, probably hatched last night. If she doesn't accept it though, I have no idea what I'll do. Raising a lone chick alone is cruel.

 

[NatJ]

If she doesn't accept it though, I have no idea what I'll do. Raising a lone chick alone is cruel.

If you do have to raise the chick yourself: maybe steal one chick from the other broody to raise with it, so it's not alone.