Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[rebecuna]

she will more then defend them, believe me, she is better off with the girls so you do not have to reintroduce her,and the little ones at a later date. I learned this the hard way, it took months and months to reintroduce those chicks/ pullets. And mama got picked on something awful . I have raised 3 sets of chicks now with a broody, they know how to care for there babies and will do a great job introducing them to the flock and letting the flock know to stay clear. I let my girls out in my yard with the babies after only 3 days, she teaches them right away what to eat, how to forage etc. it's adorable. And the other hens who go near her chicks will get a peck and a chase away. If possible, alwYs leave mama and babies with the flock.

-

My 3 chicks are now 6 and 3 days old, but when mama goes out of the shed where she's brooding them she's frantic and desperate to get exercise, but the chicks don't follow her, they just start screeching loudly. It's SO loud! Mama comes rushing back after only about 30 seconds-- just grabs a mouthful of grass or plops down in the garden dirt-- then seems really disturbed, turning in circles and trying to find a good nesting position again. Should I help the chicks out of the shed (I set up a ramp but so far they don't even come close to it)? They seem so little and aren't running around too much yet-- just staying really close to mama. I want to introduce them to the rest of the flock soon, but so far with mama out alone she gets rushed by the 2 most dominant and they start pecking her immediately. Will that really change when her chicks are with her?

I have a question, I was affraid to crack open one of my green eggs because I couldn't see in to it and I put it under a different broody that is 7 days into sitting on turkey eggs because broody momma was done sitting and wanted to take her chicks out, well I checked that egg today and I am pretty sure the chick is alive and just pipped internally (heard/felt scraping inside the egg) and hopefully it will hatch.

SO my question is will momma hen accept this chick? Or will she not even know the difference with one more? It is a few days behind the rest (the first chick hatched Wednesday morning and the last hatched Thursday night this one might hatch by this eve I'm guessing).

My first chick hatched 3 days before the other 2 and it was no problem.

 

[Johnn]

Thanks for the reply, Johnn and the rest of you. OK......I will leave here were she is. I am still a bit concerned about the chicks falling down the hatch though. Will they be OK of they do? I suspect that once they are 'downstairs' they will stay there until the chicks are a little bigger and can follow the hen up the ramp.

My chick fell out this nest on day one, I'm not sure if its higher than your ramp but the chick was fine:

 

[Johnn]

Urgh, its starting to snow!! I haven't been up to change the bedding yet. I will be going soon, I will have to give her some mixed corn to warm up her broody pouch more!

 

[pysankigirl]

I SO love broodies with their babies!!!!!

I have 4 broodies that I gave eggs to when they were to go into lockdown. They hatched yesterday (mostly, some hatched Saturday) I have a pair of Barnevelders that are just so fun to watch with their new chicks. They have teamed up to raise the 6 chicks. One provides warmth while the other one shows them how to eat while on a hair trigger with the ninja smackdown if any other chickens comes too close. Too darn adorable.


the chicks are Maradunna basque and Rhodebar from eggs from BM6 and CPL. and a couple of barnies.

this Welsummer decided she HAD to set in the goat house. so I let her, but I fenced her in with hay bales. she now has 4 chicks under her: Maradunna basque and what I think might be Silver Sussex from CR Farms? anyone know what silver Sussex chicks look like?



they all are letting me reach in and check eggs and chicks without getting too crochety...but are flying off the handle if it is another chicken that is bothering them. So I think they know that I am trying to help.

I would make sure there was an easy way for the first few days of them getting back in or not getting out to begin with. I actually had a chick fall out of the nesting box and get seriously chilled once. Poor mama didn't want to leave the rest and was so upset by the one...she couldn't sit in two places, though. I though it was dead but when I warmed it up under a heat lamp it came back to life...scared the heck out of me though.

 

[Johnn]

I SO love broodies with their babies!!!!!

I have 4 broodies that I gave eggs to when they were to go into lockdown. They hatched yesterday (mostly, some hatched Saturday) I have a pair of Barnevelders that are just so fun to watch with their new chicks. They have teamed up to raise the 6 chicks. One provides warmth while the other one shows them how to eat while on a hair trigger with the ninja smackdown if any other chickens comes too close. Too darn adorable.


the chicks are Maradunna basque and Rhodebar from eggs from BM6 and CPL. and a couple of barnies.

this Welsummer decided she HAD to set in the goat house. so I let her, but I fenced her in with hay bales. she now has 4 chicks under her: Maradunna basque and what I think might be Silver Sussex from CR Farms? anyone know what silver Sussex chicks look like?



they all are letting me reach in and check eggs and chicks without getting too crochety...but are flying off the handle if it is another chicken that is bothering them. So I think they know that I am trying to help.

I would make sure there was an easy way for the first few days of them getting back in or not getting out to begin with. I actually had a chick fall out of the nesting box and get seriously chilled once. Poor mama didn't want to leave the rest and was so upset by the one...she couldn't sit in two places, though. I though it was dead but when I warmed it up under a heat lamp it came back to life...scared the heck out of me though.

 

[karlamaria]

My chick fell out this nest on day one, I'm not sure if its higher than your ramp but the chick was fine:

is that snow In your coop brrrrr ? That's the smallest box I have ever seen. Is she broody in that box in the snow ?

 

[karlamaria]

My 3 chicks are now 6 and 3 days old, but when mama goes out of the shed where she's brooding them she's frantic and desperate to get exercise, but the chicks don't follow her, they just start screeching loudly. It's SO loud! Mama comes rushing back after only about 30 seconds-- just grabs a mouthful of grass or plops down in the garden dirt-- then seems really disturbed, turning in circles and trying to find a good nesting position again. Should I help the chicks out of the shed (I set up a ramp but so far they don't even come close to it)? They seem so little and aren't running around too much yet-- just staying really close to mama. I want to introduce them to the rest of the flock soon, but so far with mama out alone she gets rushed by the 2 most dominant and they start pecking her immediately. Will that really change when her chicks are with her?

My first chick hatched 3 days before the other 2 and it was no problem.

can they get out? If not I would put food with her and water and maybe soon they will follow her.

 

[Johnn]

is that snow In your coop brrrrr ? That's the smallest box I have ever seen. Is she broody in that box in the snow ?

This was before she went broody, the snow is gone now although it is starting to snow again. Its not a small box she's just huge, I have took the divider out to give her more room.

 

[Johnn]

I don't know what is wrong with my Orpington but its going bad so far. When I went out before there was 3 eggs that fell out from under her and were cold but I just put them back in. I have made her nest better so eggs cant roll out, if anymore eggs fall out I will probablies chuck them and start fresh with a new clutch.

 

[rebecuna]

can they get out? If not I would put food with her and water and maybe soon they will follow her.

The shed is closed up, but I put a makshift ramp from the door to the grass outside so when mama goes out (when I prop open the door), theoretically they can follow her... they just don't really try, just scream for her. Does she need to teach them to follow? Maybe she's too desperate herself to take the time. That's why I was thinking maybe I should carry them out the first time or two. Thoughts?

They have food and water where she's nesting (which is randomly in the corner of the shed by a hay bale, rather than in the nice shaving-filled kiddie pool I set up for her.

)