Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Miss Lydia]

heres a link that will help alot, and everyone has their own way of doing this, some separate others keep with flock it's up to you. Neither one of my roos have even touched the chicks and I just had 6 broodys hatch in the last month. 1 still to go. For the most part the flock leaves them alone. Sometimes the mama themselves will start at each other but it doesn't amount to much. The mamas and chicks are always the first into the coop at eve. they pick a nest box and thats where they sleep with their chicks. Congrats on the hatches and broodys. you'll enjoy this so much. and as for food, I feed Purina StartNGrow unmedicated. you don't have to feed med. to chicks hatched by a broody. keep us updated on all the events happening and pics too we love pics. and Moms can eat the chik food too ,and she won't lay again till she weans her chicks. Chicks raised on the ground by mama are much healthier than bator raised chicks because they build immunity faster.
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html please don't get me wrong I don't mean bator raised chicks aren't healthy but being raised in a more sterile inviroment makes them more susceptible to diseases than chicks that are raised on the ground. [ i hope I don't get yelled at for saying that]

 

[wilmothfarms]

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Awesome article! Thanks for passing that along! Looks like its better to kind of keep them in the yard/coop but kind of separate for a week or so and then let mom and chicks out with everyone with the ones that are hatching today...if I read that correctly. Or at least do that so she takes them back to her nest and to put chick food in for just them so the other birds dont eat it up, I know my own birds cant stand it if I bring in chicks and they cant eat what they have!

I think I will keep my two in the brooder/coop alone until a few days before hatching (I can move the boxes they removable) into the same pen they are in but into something on the ground - who knows what but I'll fashion something to keep the weather out. And open the pen doors in the day for them, I think she will move them into the coop when she is ready. The brooder/coop sits about 2 1/2 feet off the ground which for young chicks makes it impossible for her to bring in and out on her own. Whats your thoughts, do you think they will stay on the nest if I move them back to the coop closer to hatching or should I leave them and move them at a week before? I may have messed up moving them. What has everyone had the best luck at?

 

[wilmothfarms]

Quote:
Awesome article! Thanks for passing that along! Looks like its better to kind of keep them in the yard/coop but kind of separate for a week or so and then let mom and chicks out with everyone with the ones that are hatching today...if I read that correctly. Or at least do that so she takes them back to her nest and to put chick food in for just them so the other birds dont eat it up, I know my own birds cant stand it if I bring in chicks and they cant eat what they have!

I think I will keep my two in the brooder/coop alone until a few days before hatching (I can move the boxes they removable) into the same pen they are in but into something on the ground - who knows what but I'll fashion something to keep the weather out. And open the pen doors in the day for them, I think she will move them into the coop when she is ready. The brooder/coop sits about 2 1/2 feet off the ground which for young chicks makes it impossible for her to bring in and out on her own. Whats your thoughts, do you think they will stay on the nest if I move them back to the coop closer to hatching or should I leave them and move them at a week before? I may have messed up moving them. What has everyone had the best luck at?

BTW - am i over thinking this?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes you are in a way, believe me that hens knows what to do, when i tried to move mine she would not accept another place she wanted the one she chose, but if you can keep them locked up for a while then they'll probably go back to that one. the way my house sits we have fence around front and back with a gate in between both sides so mama and chicks have been hanging out in the front mostly, I put food and water out there for them, and then in the eve, they all go into the main coop. The only reason I have 1 separate is because she was going through something last week where she wanted to trade her eggs for newly hatched chicks, so i moved her and her eggs to our small coop and kept her locked inside with her own food and water till Sat. now she knows to go back there to sit on her eggs. If your going to move them I'd say wait till they hatch now. more than likely mama will move them into the coop on her own. Thats what mine have done anyway.

 

[wilmothfarms]

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Ok...will do, in they stay until she is ready to move them to the big coop. Now what to do with my coop cat Stella! She doesnt bother the hens, or the teenagers, but the new chicks will be smaller than the sparrows she catches and I worry she will confuse them...funny how she knows chickens from wild birds (course she thinks she is a chicken being raised with them since she was 5 or 6 months old), but I'm not gonna chance it. I imagine momma hen can defend the new chicks quite well...Stella is quite afraid of a mad hen. but I am thinking I will have to do something with Stella, how unhappy she will be to not go "home" at night to sleep with her flock.

Wish that I had thought all this through long ago. But she has kept mice, rats, wild birds, etc out of the chicken coop and yard, and since I also free range...she has been quite helpful hanging with the flock deterring hawks as well

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would be concerned about stella too, little chicks dart around and make alot of noise and she might get them confused with a wild bird so if it was me I would give Stella some R&R till chicks grew some. you have to watch your cat and chicks I have to watch my gander and chicks, mostly it's the mamas he doesn't like because they try to chase him away from their chicks, but he won't back down like the ducks and other chickens do, so I have to watch him like a hawk

 

[wilmothfarms]

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Agreed. I am thinking until they are fully feathered and I can put them into the enclosed area of the chicken yard where I keep my teenagers while introducing them to the flock, momma hen and chicks will be kept where they are in the brooder/coop separate from sweet Stella. How long until Momma Hen decides the chicks are ready to be on their own and dont need her any more? I'll let momma out to see her flock family if she wants but I bet she wont stray from her babies...or lock Stella up during the day. I've been talking to my sweet DH who isnt so fond of the money my egg poppers are costing, and told him I really need a new shelter (eh hmmm or two) for my Marans to keep in separate breeding pens, and my bantams....sweet thing just drew up the best plans for me!

He really doesnt hate on my chickens as much as all that squawking he does after all!

 

[madgabmomma]

My first ever broodt hatch is happening right now!! I'm sooo excites!!

My hen and roo are oegb bantam mutts and she's sitting on 7 of her own eggs. Today is day 19 and I went out to check on her about 30min ago. It'd was so cute I walked into the coop, she hopped off her nest and Just started talking This me. I went over to investigate and saw 4 zipping and hydrogen all kinds of chirping. After she showed me what was Going on she got right back to work sitting. Ill post pics as soon as I see a fuzzy butt in there. Whoo hoo!! Also just too add I did keep her separate from the flock but our coop has 2 rooms separated by chicken wire so She can see them and they can see her. Ill let her out in a couple days and see how it goes. I have a very dominant big hen that I worry will be ounery but momma is 2nd in the peckingvorder and her roi is Good at keeping my big hen in line especially when it comes to hid woman.

 

[wilmothfarms]

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GOOD LUCK! Cant wait to see pics! I'm in the process of a clutch hatching today too!!! One that has been taking all afternoon to emerge and when I tapped on one egg the chick peeped back at me, another egg I heard scratching sounds! I didnt bother her too much, but I was worried with some of the other eggs we checked, didnt hear anything, but no sloshing sounds of the yolk to indicate a bad egg either. So cross your fingers for me!!!

 

[Whimsy]

Oh my I have chicks hatching!!!!!! I have one half way out and we could hear more in the eggs. Here is Rae listening to the eggs

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How long does it take for them all to hatch?