Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bumpercarr]

I would say defiantly keep mama and chicks away from flock for as long as possible! I had a horrid experience last fall when my silkie had two chicks.... I waited a couple weeks to put them in with the whole flock only to find two trampled baby's in the morning I cried all day! I wouldn't want anyone to have the same experience!

I never separate my broody from the flock. I find that she knows best how to take care of them amongst the others. That said, mine have a huge pen, so she has some room to protect her chicks if need be.

 

[Searsmom]

I keep mine in as well - however my mama hen is huge and all of them free-range during the day - so there's ample opportunity for them to keep their distance. I would think that with a silkie as a mama for other chickens that are bigger, you would definitely want to keep them separate - if no other reason than the mama's safety and sanity.

 

[CarolinaHen]

I keep mine in the flock as well. She knows far better than I do how to care for her babies

 

[fisherlady]

To separate or not is totally a flock dependent decision... and really may depend on one or two members within the flock. I have traditionally went 'middle of the road'. We usually give the broody a quiet area away from the majority of the coop hubbub but still in the building and within sight/sound of the flock. A couple of senior and high ranking hens we just left in place.
The ones we move to the broody area get to stay there for a week or two, mama and babies get to bond and the chicks get to learn mama's vocalizations.. but they are still put out to free range with the rest of the flock from about day 2 or 3. During their time outside they get more exposure to the rest of the flock but it is in a very wide open area with birds coming to investigate the broody and crew. This allows a low stress introduction where the broody and her crew can move away from anything overwhelming but the little ones begin to learn how to avoid big bird's feet and such.

The mama hen will let us know when they want to move back into the coop. They are able to take the babies into the main coop anytime through the day, since when free ranging the broody area is open to the main coop... when the broody shows she wants to spend more time in the main coop and less in the broody hut then we let them move back into the coop with the big birds and we provide them a floor nesting area in a quiet corner. Then when the babies are a few weeks older the broody usually starts moving them up to one of the lower roosting ledges, by 6 or 7 weeks the broody starts to 'wean' them and the older birds really don't view them any differently than any other flock members.

We just had a broody wean her 6 pack of youngsters this past week, the first night they all slept in a big pile on a corner of one of the shelves, and they started out there last night. DH went out to the coop this morning to open up and said when he checked the roosts at first he couldn't find the 6 pack... then he looked closer and realized they were spread out amongst all of the other hens and roosters and tucked in between the bigger birds. Guess they are official flock members now! LOL

So be open to different methods based on flock personalities and mama hen's ability to control her youngsters... not all are easy to integrate and some never miss a beat. Observe, adjust and always leave a 'safe spot' for the broody to retreat to with the little ones if she feels the need. Some adults have never been around babies, so they need to learn also...

 

[CarolinaHen]

To separate or not is totally a flock dependent decision... and really may depend on one or two members within the flock. I have traditionally went 'middle of the road'. We usually give the broody a quiet area away from the majority of the coop hubbub but still in the building and within sight/sound of the flock. A couple of senior and high ranking hens we just left in place.
The ones we move to the broody area get to stay there for a week or two, mama and babies get to bond and the chicks get to learn mama's vocalizations.. but they are still put out to free range with the rest of the flock from about day 2 or 3. During their time outside they get more exposure to the rest of the flock but it is in a very wide open area with birds coming to investigate the broody and crew. This allows a low stress introduction where the broody and her crew can move away from anything overwhelming but the little ones begin to learn how to avoid big bird's feet and such.

The mama hen will let us know when they want to move back into the coop. They are able to take the babies into the main coop anytime through the day, since when free ranging the broody area is open to the main coop... when the broody shows she wants to spend more time in the main coop and less in the broody hut then we let them move back into the coop with the big birds and we provide them a floor nesting area in a quiet corner. Then when the babies are a few weeks older the broody usually starts moving them up to one of the lower roosting ledges, by 6 or 7 weeks the broody starts to 'wean' them and the older birds really don't view them any differently than any other flock members.

We just had a broody wean her 6 pack of youngsters this past week, the first night they all slept in a big pile on a corner of one of the shelves, and they started out there last night. DH went out to the coop this morning to open up and said when he checked the roosts at first he couldn't find the 6 pack... then he looked closer and realized they were spread out amongst all of the other hens and roosters and tucked in between the bigger birds. Guess they are official flock members now! LOL

So be open to different methods based on flock personalities and mama hen's ability to control her youngsters... not all are easy to integrate and some never miss a beat. Observe, adjust and always leave a 'safe spot' for the broody to retreat to with the little ones if she feels the need. Some adults have never been around babies, so they need to learn also...

Excellent response. I should have added in my reply above that my broodies are Silkies. The Silkies have their own pen beside the garden. The babies are only around the main flock when mama feels it is safe to take them there. She will walk them into the main coop and around with the flock when she wants them to be there. I'm pretty spoiled with my girls since they do all the hard work

 

[Lady of McCamley]

To separate or not is totally a flock dependent decision... and really may depend on one or two members within the flock. I have traditionally went 'middle of the road'. We usually give the broody a quiet area away from the majority of the coop hubbub but still in the building and within sight/sound of the flock. A couple of senior and high ranking hens we just left in place.
The ones we move to the broody area get to stay there for a week or two, mama and babies get to bond and the chicks get to learn mama's vocalizations.. but they are still put out to free range with the rest of the flock from about day 2 or 3. During their time outside they get more exposure to the rest of the flock but it is in a very wide open area with birds coming to investigate the broody and crew. This allows a low stress introduction where the broody and her crew can move away from anything overwhelming but the little ones begin to learn how to avoid big bird's feet and such.

The mama hen will let us know when they want to move back into the coop. They are able to take the babies into the main coop anytime through the day, since when free ranging the broody area is open to the main coop... when the broody shows she wants to spend more time in the main coop and less in the broody hut then we let them move back into the coop with the big birds and we provide them a floor nesting area in a quiet corner. Then when the babies are a few weeks older the broody usually starts moving them up to one of the lower roosting ledges, by 6 or 7 weeks the broody starts to 'wean' them and the older birds really don't view them any differently than any other flock members.

We just had a broody wean her 6 pack of youngsters this past week, the first night they all slept in a big pile on a corner of one of the shelves, and they started out there last night. DH went out to the coop this morning to open up and said when he checked the roosts at first he couldn't find the 6 pack... then he looked closer and realized they were spread out amongst all of the other hens and roosters and tucked in between the bigger birds. Guess they are official flock members now! LOL

So be open to different methods based on flock personalities and mama hen's ability to control her youngsters... not all are easy to integrate and some never miss a beat. Observe, adjust and always leave a 'safe spot' for the broody to retreat to with the little ones if she feels the need. Some adults have never been around babies, so they need to learn also...

Ditto...it is very dependent on the flock, environment, broody hen, chicks, breeds, and broods.

What works this time might not work next time; what works for this person won't for that.

Read your flock and your broody hen and situation to make the right decision for your flock.

Some rules of thumb...always have hiding places for the babies to run into away from big birds--but not such they can strand themselves away from momma or get cornered away from food and water. Also plug holes in fences where they can escape from your flock area into danger. Never leave an overly aggressive or stressed bird within reach of the chicks. Never stress momma especially if she is low on the pecking order...she may have to decide to defend herself or her chicks and chicks can get hurt in the scuffles or even abandoned. Many broodies are excellent mothers and will defend their chicks to the death, but constant battles if the broody is low pecking order is simply too stressful while she is trying to raise chicks too.

As my main broody is the only bantam and Silkie in a large fowl flock...she gets NO respect...all the birds pick on her...so I never let her out with small chicks into the main flock areas. I have a separate pen and hutch for her to brood and hatch and grow out as she would be going through re-integration hazing every 2 months. Depending upon the chicks I've put under her, integration time varies, but I wait until later for the sanity of the Silkie and the safety of the chicks. Generally I try to introduce the chicks when they are older, at least 6 weeks, so they are old enough to fend for themselves and aren't so easily squashed when the big hens haze the Silkie. Over time, because of my yard set up and simply the time factors in my brooding system, I typically wait until 12 weeks to introduce the chicks as that's when my Silkie has gone broody again... I set the next batch of eggs under her and toss the teens into the main flock. But they've had fence to fence exposure and open range integration for a few weeks to help with integration into the main flock.

Waiting longer is also advised in Ag literature to allow the immune systems of the chicks to develop before being exposed to big chicken diseases.

That's simply what works for me. Again, survey your situation and go from there.
Lady of McCamley

 

[bumpercarr]

To separate or not is totally a flock dependent decision... and really may depend on one or two members within the flock. I have traditionally went 'middle of the road'. We usually give the broody a quiet area away from the majority of the coop hubbub but still in the building and within sight/sound of the flock. A couple of senior and high ranking hens we just left in place.
The ones we move to the broody area get to stay there for a week or two, mama and babies get to bond and the chicks get to learn mama's vocalizations.. but they are still put out to free range with the rest of the flock from about day 2 or 3. During their time outside they get more exposure to the rest of the flock but it is in a very wide open area with birds coming to investigate the broody and crew. This allows a low stress introduction where the broody and her crew can move away from anything overwhelming but the little ones begin to learn how to avoid big bird's feet and such.

The mama hen will let us know when they want to move back into the coop. They are able to take the babies into the main coop anytime through the day, since when free ranging the broody area is open to the main coop... when the broody shows she wants to spend more time in the main coop and less in the broody hut then we let them move back into the coop with the big birds and we provide them a floor nesting area in a quiet corner. Then when the babies are a few weeks older the broody usually starts moving them up to one of the lower roosting ledges, by 6 or 7 weeks the broody starts to 'wean' them and the older birds really don't view them any differently than any other flock members.

We just had a broody wean her 6 pack of youngsters this past week, the first night they all slept in a big pile on a corner of one of the shelves, and they started out there last night. DH went out to the coop this morning to open up and said when he checked the roosts at first he couldn't find the 6 pack... then he looked closer and realized they were spread out amongst all of the other hens and roosters and tucked in between the bigger birds. Guess they are official flock members now! LOL

So be open to different methods based on flock personalities and mama hen's ability to control her youngsters... not all are easy to integrate and some never miss a beat. Observe, adjust and always leave a 'safe spot' for the broody to retreat to with the little ones if she feels the need. Some adults have never been around babies, so they need to learn also...

Ditto...it is very dependent on the flock, environment, broody hen, chicks, breeds, and broods.

What works this time might not work next time; what works for this person won't for that.

Read your flock and your broody hen and situation to make the right decision for your flock.

Some rules of thumb...always have hiding places for the babies to run into away from big birds--but not such they can strand themselves away from momma or get cornered away from food and water. Also plug holes in fences where they can escape from your flock area into danger. Never leave an overly aggressive or stressed bird within reach of the chicks. Never stress momma especially if she is low on the pecking order...she may have to decide to defend herself or her chicks and chicks can get hurt in the scuffles or even abandoned. Many broodies are excellent mothers and will defend their chicks to the death, but constant battles if the broody is low pecking order is simply too stressful while she is trying to raise chicks too.

As my main broody is the only bantam and Silkie in a large fowl flock...she gets NO respect...all the birds pick on her...so I never let her out with small chicks into the main flock areas. I have a separate pen and hutch for her to brood and hatch and grow out as she would be going through re-integration hazing every 2 months. Depending upon the chicks I've put under her, integration time varies, but I wait until later for the sanity of the Silkie and the safety of the chicks. Generally I try to introduce the chicks when they are older, at least 6 weeks, so they are old enough to fend for themselves and aren't so easily squashed when the big hens haze the Silkie. Over time, because of my yard set up and simply the time factors in my brooding system, I typically wait until 12 weeks to introduce the chicks as that's when my Silkie has gone broody again... I set the next batch of eggs under her and toss the teens into the main flock. But they've had fence to fence exposure and open range integration for a few weeks to help with integration into the main flock.

Waiting longer is also advised in Ag literature to allow the immune systems of the chicks to develop before being exposed to big chicken diseases.

That's simply what works for me. Again, survey your situation and go from there.
Lady of McCamley

x2.

I'm lucky, I have a lot of room for the broody and chicks to avoid conflict and my broody is not at the bottom of the pecking order (although she was until she hatched her first brood, then she became the terror of the hen yard ). Sometimes you don't have an option, if you have a crowded run and don't have the ability to let them roam together with escape routes, then it separation is probably the only option.

Right now I'm integrating four six-week olds that I hatched in the incubator into my brahma pen. It is hard to do, so I prefer letting the broody do it (if only she'd go broody again, I've got a bunch in the bator now). I let them in the same area with the flock as often as I can (heavily observed) and notice that there is one hen that just wants to chase them. I don't know if it is jealousy or what, but she's terrorizing the poor things. They have their own run so they can get face to face and when I can I open the gate and let them roam with the big guys. With that said, they are able to get away from her when they need to and seem to be doing okay with the rest.

I'm about to undergo a huge change up of my pens, so I'd love to have some advice on how to accomplish that. I've built a new coop, so everyone is going to be in a new home.....I'm hoping that will make the chaos a little less chaotic, but I'm expecting to have a few tussles before it is all over. I'm planning on removing the roosters from the pens, they will both go into cages for the transition (I really, really don't need their help). Then, I want to put all of the hens together in one large condo and run. I'm going to get rid of my barnyard rooster and keep my brahma rooster, but I don't want him to breed except with the hens that I want him to breed to. So, they are going to have their own condo and run for that purpose. I'll also have a chick pen where the 5 week olds and up can go until I figure out their sex. The pullets will go in with the rest of the hens and the cockerels will go into their own coop and run until we are ready to choose them from breeding or eat them. I know that this sounds complicated, but it really isn't. My biggest concern is the initial move.....the laying hens have never been with the brahma hens although they are able to see each other from their two coops/runs right now. I usually free range them separately, mostly because of the roosters (who still manage to get into it, no matter how careful I am to keep them apart)

 

[Amy Foster]

thanks for the pics and i knew someone would argue me down over the acv but i have had them in the pooping bloody chunks stage and brought them ALL back with acv and have NEVER lost a single chick so i stand by my words! those pics really brightened my day thanks!

 

[winteree]

I would say defiantly keep mama and chicks away from flock for as long as possible! I had a horrid experience last fall when my silkie had two chicks.... I waited a couple weeks to put them in with the whole flock only to find two trampled baby's in the morning I cried all day! I wouldn't want anyone to have the same experience!

I heard that 8 weeks is the "magic number" for adding chicks to the flock and you have to keep a close eye on them for the first week or so.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

x2.

I'm lucky, I have a lot of room for the broody and chicks to avoid conflict and my broody is not at the bottom of the pecking order (although she was until she hatched her first brood, then she became the terror of the hen yard ). Sometimes you don't have an option, if you have a crowded run and don't have the ability to let them roam together with escape routes, then it separation is probably the only option.

Right now I'm integrating four six-week olds that I hatched in the incubator into my brahma pen. It is hard to do, so I prefer letting the broody do it (if only she'd go broody again, I've got a bunch in the bator now). I let them in the same area with the flock as often as I can (heavily observed) and notice that there is one hen that just wants to chase them. I don't know if it is jealousy or what, but she's terrorizing the poor things. They have their own run so they can get face to face and when I can I open the gate and let them roam with the big guys. With that said, they are able to get away from her when they need to and seem to be doing okay with the rest.

I'm about to undergo a huge change up of my pens, so I'd love to have some advice on how to accomplish that. I've built a new coop, so everyone is going to be in a new home.....I'm hoping that will make the chaos a little less chaotic, but I'm expecting to have a few tussles before it is all over. I'm planning on removing the roosters from the pens, they will both go into cages for the transition (I really, really don't need their help). Then, I want to put all of the hens together in one large condo and run. I'm going to get rid of my barnyard rooster and keep my brahma rooster, but I don't want him to breed except with the hens that I want him to breed to. So, they are going to have their own condo and run for that purpose. I'll also have a chick pen where the 5 week olds and up can go until I figure out their sex. The pullets will go in with the rest of the hens and the cockerels will go into their own coop and run until we are ready to choose them from breeding or eat them. I know that this sounds complicated, but it really isn't. My biggest concern is the initial move.....the laying hens have never been with the brahma hens although they are able to see each other from their two coops/runs right now. I usually free range them separately, mostly because of the roosters (who still manage to get into it, no matter how careful I am to keep them apart)

Sounds like a good plan and set up...good luck with all the mechanics of it.

I don't think you'll have to much to worry about. Brahmas are reported to be gentle (from what I've heard...I don't own one)...but they will all be going into new quarters together so the pecking order will be disassembled. They'll be some tussles but not like putting new birds onto the old turf with the gang.

My thoughts
Lady of McCamley