Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[Christie Rhae]

I need some advice.
I had my very first broody hatched chicks! So dang cute!
When do I put the hen and chicks back into my pens? I have a hen pen, pullet pen and chick pen that I could put her into but not sure how to go about it and which pen to put them into?? Chicks are about 2 weeks old now.
Any ideas?

 

[bobbieschicks]

OH my word - I haven't been getting e-mail notifications on threads I'm subscribed to, so I thought there was no activity on this thread for a few days - got to thinking, THAT can't be right, so I came back online & searched for the thread.  HOLY COW have I missed a lot!  Love all the pics!!

Johnn - please be careful with rat poison; the critter dies, but later can be eaten by a larger predator or even a barn cat, and then THEY will die.  Also, if you range your chooks, they can also get into the poison.  Just be careful - not trying to tell you what to do! 

Same thing happened to me before. Ended up missing 65 posts in just a few days.

 

[farmer boy]

you could prob put her in with the adults because she will protect them but you can take it slow and let them meet each other but just don't keep her with the adults all the time

 

[bobbieschicks]

I need some advice.
I had my very first broody hatched chicks! So dang cute!
When do I put the hen and chicks back into my pens? I have a hen pen, pullet pen and chick pen that I could put her into but not sure how to go about it and which pen to put them into?? Chicks are about 2 weeks old now.
Any ideas?

Since it sounds like you've separated out your flock - why not go ahead and separate the broody from her chick too? Or is that what you plan to do just not sure where to put them?

My broodies have abandoned their momma duties except at night by the 3rd week and completely by the 4th week. So your babies are almost at the same time the broody would abandon them anyway. Maybe wait a week and put the momma where she goes and the babies in the pullet or grow out pen.

Or try putting both the momma and the baby into the pullet pen now until she abandons the babies. I wouldn't mix the babies into a pen of adult hens unless they all free range together. Otherwise it seems like a recipe for disaster. Yes the broody will protect those babies - but against a flock of hens with an established pecking order means she had better have been at the top of the order to begin with or she and her babies will get a daily beat down.

 

[stonykill]

OH my word - I haven't been getting e-mail notifications on threads I'm subscribed to, so I thought there was no activity on this thread for a few days - got to thinking, THAT can't be right, so I came back online & searched for the thread. HOLY COW have I missed a lot! Love all the pics!!

Johnn - please be careful with rat poison; the critter dies, but later can be eaten by a larger predator or even a barn cat, and then THEY will die. Also, if you range your chooks, they can also get into the poison. Just be careful - not trying to tell you what to do!

I use rat poison at least once a year. I've never seen any animal stupid enough to eat a poisoned rat. Not picking, just saying I do it often without a problem

 

[stonykill]

just checked on my Blue mama hen in the Sumatra coop. She does indeed have 7 adorable fuzzy butts.

 

[bobbieschicks]

  just checked on my Blue mama hen in the Sumatra coop. She does indeed have 7 adorable fuzzy butts. 

Yeah! Congrats Stony!

 

[Johnn]

OH my word - I haven't been getting e-mail notifications on threads I'm subscribed to, so I thought there was no activity on this thread for a few days - got to thinking, THAT can't be right, so I came back online & searched for the thread. HOLY COW have I missed a lot! Love all the pics!!

Johnn - please be careful with rat poison; the critter dies, but later can be eaten by a larger predator or even a barn cat, and then THEY will die. Also, if you range your chooks, they can also get into the poison. Just be careful - not trying to tell you what to do!

I havn't had a problem so far but it's weird iv'e only ever seen one of them and it was at the same place as i seen it a week ago. It's quite small and i keep thinking theres only that one so it dosen't bother me as much but people say to me if theres one there will be more

 

[Christie Rhae]

Quote: Oh I didn't even think about when she was gonna abandon mama duties. Yeah I could wait another week or so and then put these two little chicks with 7 others I have that are of similar age. I like to put bigger groups into my grow out pen cuz I keep chicks of all ages in there until I know if they are pullets or cockerels (then they get booted to appropriate pen) and they seem to do better in groups.
This mama bird is still a pullet but she is just mean as cuss so I think she will be fine when I put her back into general population but if she abandons her mother duties the chicks might not do too good in with the big girls.
Thanks all for the advice!!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

They say it doesn't do any good to complain, but I did, and today have eight little ones, including a coal black...yipee! Hopefully sun out tomorrow and get some pics! (Oh, the rat poison? Find the rats tunnel and drop a chunk in - it will take it back to the nest. I've never seen a rat dead out in the open, not saying it wouldn't but...also, it would take alot of rats to get enough poison into whatever ate it - likely the dose would be too small, but it is something to be careful with since they make that stuff tasty)