Thanks Lady of McCamley for the advice. I may have to try it again, maybe mix some in with the straw I already have in there to make it more fluffy and see how it goes.
I have another silly question, when I let my hen out with the other hens today after a week of being separated a couple of the hens started fights with her. She can hold her own but I am worried about introducing her and babies to the flock. They are typically nice but they aren't free range. Would it be better to:
A) Put her and chicks in a separate penned off area in the chicken run.
B) I have some pine tree limbs left over from downing some trees that I can stack up so the little ones have somewhere to hide if need be.
C) Start with A then go to B after a couple days.
Also at what age would you introduce the chicks with mama? And is it best to put mama out for a short while before the chicks to let the pecking order get re-established between adults?
Each flock is so different that each owner needs to assess what is best for their situation.
If things settled pretty quickly, and she was able to set the boundaries with the others about her babies quickly, then having her out with the chicks may be just fine. However, if the others continue to haze her (which can happen if she was never a very dominant hen), then the constant scuffles can definitely put chicks at risk.
Most agree that in those situations, it is best to have mom and chicks in a separate area which is safe but has viewing access so that the flock gets used to seeing momma and chicks. Then when the chicks are bigger and less vulnerable to being crushed when stepped on (maybe around 2 weeks or so, depending upon your flock), you can attempt to integrate again. Also again watching for signs of trouble. And yes, it is essential that the younger birds have good hiding places if they get "dressed down" by an older bird.
With some hens, it may take some time before you can integrate. I have to wait with my banties as the large fowl flock gives them no respect, and the constant hazing puts chicks and broodies in a constant state of stress, which is not healthy. I also have hawk predator issues, so I don't put smaller animals into free range as they just get picked off. So for me, I have a completely separate but flock view-able broody/grow out run that is totally encased in hawk netting. I don't actually integrate my chicks until they are around 10 to 12 weeks old, and not such easy hawk bait.
Without predator issues, generally it is best to keep momma and chicks together and integrate as a unit within the 2 to 4 weeks of age as momma is still very protective of her babies, and she will lead the way for integration for them all. They also make a little sub flock that watches out for themselves.
Because I wait until I have "big" birds to integrate into the flock, I always integrate during daytime free range letting the "teens" go back to the broody hutch to roost. I do that for a few weeks until I notice one of the "teens" has integrated into the main flock for roosting. Then I put everyone into the main flock.
My banties, due to the hazing and hawk issues (I lost my best Silkie broody this last fall to a hawk), never leave the hawk netted broody hutch or run.
But that is my choice with my circumstances. I've tried to give you a range of situations to help you best assess your situation.
Hope you get some nice Olive Eggers out of that batch
I've got a couple of OE eggs from Cuckoo Marans and Isbar setting now.
Lady of McCamley
