Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[lawatt]

has anyone on this thread had to deal with simultaneous broodies that will attack each other's chicks? i have FIVE broodies right now, at various stages of sitting/hatching, and at least two of them, while being great moms to their own chicks, are completely intolerant of the others' chicks and will viciously attack them. i've lost three chicks already in the process of figuring this out, and have everyone separated for now but will not have space to keep the next two hatches separate, too -- am now thinking i might have to take all the chicks away from them and raise them indoors in a brooder unless i can find a way to keep them from being so wildly aggressive?

 

[Johnn]

has anyone on this thread had to deal with simultaneous broodies that will attack each other's chicks? i have FIVE broodies right now, at various stages of sitting/hatching, and at least two of them, while being great moms to their own chicks, are completely intolerant of the others' chicks and will viciously attack them. i've lost three chicks already in the process of figuring this out, and have everyone separated for now but will not have space to keep the next two hatches separate, too -- am now thinking i might have to take all the chicks away from them and raise them indoors in a brooder unless i can find a way to keep them from being so wildly aggressive?

The next 3 might be better, you never know. Why not just put them in with the rest of the flock so chicks don't have to come face to face with other mamas.

 

[lawatt]

The next 3 might be better, you never know. Why not just put them in with the rest of the flock so chicks don't have to come face to face with other mamas.

the rest of the flock ignores the babies, but through a couple of accidental experiments i've discovered that a) any chick that's away from its mama is attacked, and b) when they're both out and about with their chicks and the rest of the flock, broody #1 attacks broody #2 (ignoring the chick) & won't leave her alone unless they are separated. i'm utterly at a loss of how to manage who is where, at this point.

 

[Bikerschick]

Hi! This is my first post ever here... so I'm just learning.
This is also my first ever hatched at home chickens... the learning continues. lol

So about 3 weeks ago we noticed that one of our chickens was broody (still friendly, just not gonna move).
We let her keep sitting. We have raised day-olds before, and figured we would see how it goes.
Today... babies!!!
Two so far. One is a little bit wet-looking still and one is a gorgeous fluff ball. And one egg we can see the little cracked dent where it will be coming out soon. Im soooo excited! Happy Mother's Day!

Some of the things we are learning/dealing with:
We use milk crates on our back porch for laying boxes. While the chickens do have a coop for sleeping, they have the run of the 1 acre yard (not to mention a lot of the neighbor's yard too... dang fence.) The boxes work wonderfully. There's a little line of three of them. The one in the corner is the favorite, the middle is sometimes used, and the one on the end is apparently just for looks.

Our potential mama chose to lay in the favorite, of course. So we freshened up the hay in the middle and added a couple golf balls... It worked for a few of the girls, but some would still just hop in the small box with her, and insist on laying there too. They don't fight or anything... but they do walk all over mama, and that sort of bugs me.
And... we ended up with her clutch of eggs being from 4/22 to 4/26. The 26th being the day I realized other chicken were adding to her eggs every day. She was on top of 15! I pencil-marked a dozen of them with 4/26, and pitched the rest. A dozen seemed right?
I learned a pencil line circle all the way around them, keeps me from having to inspect each one for the date when her sisters add even more to the nursery. I can see the new eggs right away and pull them out and set her back down... Poor mama.

So... after we saw the new babies today we began doing some more research. Reading different posts here, and a few other places too. We've decided that tonight, after it gets good and dark.... we're going to move her. Just a few feet away into a little pen of sorts. It's all set up and ready with shavings, and little chick waterers and feeders....
The thing is... aside from the other chickens walking on her and maybe squishing the chicks, the milk crate she is in doesn't have big enough holes for the chicks to get out. We're going to move her whole nest, minus the crate and put it into an open front box inside the little pen. This way they can come and go from the nest as they choose. She can be with them or not if she needs a quick break. And it will protect them from the other chickens for a while till they all get more bonded (or bigger at least). I don't think they would go after the babies... but I don't really know.

I just had to finally write something, and as this is my favorite thread... I chose here. Anyway... that's my chicken story to share. I took a few pictures. This is the one I'm saving as a memento... I hope you like it.



And please... any advice on:
home-hatched, not hatched all at once-but over a couple days, free range babies would be greatly appreciated. LOL


Thanks for even being around so I can share.

Oh!!! P.S.
Does anyone happen to know what type of chicken my mama even is?
She was bought from Tractor Supply's Chick Days in Texas, the spring before last.

 

[Jharper]

Hi! This is my first post ever here... so I'm just learning. This is also my first ever hatched at home chickens... the learning continues. lol So about 3 weeks ago we noticed that one of our chickens was broody (still friendly, just not gonna move). We let her keep sitting. We have raised day-olds before, and figured we would see how it goes. Today... babies!!! Two so far. One is a little bit wet-looking still and one is a gorgeous fluff ball. And one egg we can see the little cracked dent where it will be coming out soon. Im soooo excited! Happy Mother's Day! Some of the things we are learning/dealing with: We use milk crates on our back porch for laying boxes. While the chickens do have a coop for sleeping, they have the run of the 1 acre yard (not to mention a lot of the neighbor's yard too... dang fence.) The boxes work wonderfully. There's a little line of three of them. The one in the corner is the favorite, the middle is sometimes used, and the one on the end is apparently just for looks. Our potential mama chose to lay in the favorite, of course. So we freshened up the hay in the middle and added a couple golf balls... It worked for a few of the girls, but some would still just hop in the small box with her, and insist on laying there too. They don't fight or anything... but they do walk all over mama, and that sort of bugs me. And... we ended up with her clutch of eggs being from 4/22 to 4/26. The 26th being the day I realized other chicken were adding to her eggs every day. She was on top of 15! I pencil-marked a dozen of them with 4/26, and pitched the rest. A dozen seemed right? I learned a pencil line circle all the way around them, keeps me from having to inspect each one for the date when her sisters add even more to the nursery. I can see the new eggs right away and pull them out and set her back down... Poor mama. So... after we saw the new babies today we began doing some more research. Reading different posts here, and a few other places too. We've decided that tonight, after it gets good and dark.... we're going to move her. Just a few feet away into a little pen of sorts. It's all set up and ready with shavings, and little chick waterers and feeders.... The thing is... aside from the other chickens walking on her and maybe squishing the chicks, the milk crate she is in doesn't have big enough holes for the chicks to get out. We're going to move her whole nest, minus the crate and put it into an open front box inside the little pen. This way they can come and go from the nest as they choose. She can be with them or not if she needs a quick break. And it will protect them from the other chickens for a while till they all get more bonded (or bigger at least). I don't think they would go after the babies... but I don't really know. I just had to finally write something, and as this is my favorite thread... I chose here. Anyway... that's my chicken story to share. I took a few pictures. This is the one I'm saving as a memento... I hope you like it. And please... any advice on: home-hatched, not hatched all at once-but over a couple days, free range babies would be greatly appreciated. LOL Thanks for even being around so I can share. Oh!!! P.S. Does anyone happen to know what type of chicken my mama even is? She was bought from Tractor Supply's Chick Days in Texas, the spring before last.

What bin did you get her out of and do you have a picture of her face?

 

[Jharper]

She looks like a Welsumer.

 

[Flowerbh]

Have any of you ever used a Welsummer as a broody? How many eggs can I set, she is pretty large?

My Welsummer had been giving me an egg every single day since she started laying 4 months ago! Then three days ago, my Silkie hatched 6 eggs. Since then, my Welsummer has been sitting on a plastic egg in the nest watching my Silkie and those chicks. She has stopped laying eggs and growls when we try to move her. Soooo, today I set 8 fertile eggs in front of her. She carefully tucked each egg under her one by one. We will see what happens!

 

[Flowerbh]

Sounds like it all depends on the roo.
This is my roo getting into position between me and the chicks and giving the "crooked look". This step-dad is really good with chicks. When the chicks are a couple days older and they re-join the flock, anyone going after a chick will have to get thru him first, then the co-parenting moms.

Love that crooked look! Ha! He gave you the eye!

 

[uphilljill]

Happy mama hen day!

Our broody buff finally let see one of her chicks. She's still sitting on her nest and can't tell how many she's got so far (out of 9 eggs.) the chicks are buckeyes.

 

[Flowerbh]

She looks like a Welsumer.

Same color as a Welsummer, but looks like she has a pea comb. Welsummers have a single comb. What color are her eggs? What color are her legs? She could be an EEer.