Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[fisherlady]

I picked up 10 newly hatched chicks last night at an auction, I have a broody thats been sitting nearly 2 months. I slipped all 10 under her last night, she didnt push them away or act aggressive in any way. This morning the chicks are seemingly ready to explore with the big girls, and momma is still sitting pretty tight on the nest. I found one of the littles outside of the coop in the run with the big hens. I took it and put it back, I dont know if this is successful or not, no one is acting aggressive towards them, but no one is really watching out for them either, they are going under the momma as they want, but also straying away.....whats the deal?

A hen may need a bit of time to transition from 'setting mode' to 'mama mode'. Some make the transition quickly but not always. A hen sitting on eggs feels the movement of the chicks in the eggs the day before hatching and hears them begin to cheap after internal pip....these cues allow them to start transitioning. When a hen doesn't get the natural cues it just may take longer to adapt to the sudden arrival of fuzz balls.
Patience and observation are key...sounds like your flock is tolerating the fuzzy invaders well, which is good. You can make a scrambled egg and chop it super fine and put it in a low sided dish and place it near the broody and see if she calls chicks to it. Just watch for any signs of aggressive behavior so you can intervene and put the chick back under the hen so she gets used to feeling and hearing them a bit more before she sees them.
Chicks get used to heat lights very quickly, so depending on how old they were (24 hrs or 48 hrs?) They may be more willing to roam a bit. It will be an adjustment for them also.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Came home from my girl scout camping weekend and I now have 5 broodies! NOT counting Ana or the turkeys (3 turkey hens arguing over eggs now)! These girls kill me!

 

[fangedknight]

You need a turkey! I have 3 poults available (with more coming in July)

Really? What kind do you have? If we can do the modifications to the run we were planning we miiigghht be able to do it. Maybe...

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Really? What kind do you have? If we can do the modifications to the run we were planning we miiigghht be able to do it. Maybe...

2 red bronze and 1 bourbon buff, though I'm not sure yet if I'm going to part with the buff. The ones coming in July are from Porter's heritage turkeys and they'll be a mix of colors.

 

[gonehencrazy]

So I follow a chicken swap page in KY on FB. A lot of my friends live there and I got added to help my friend find colored layers

Today I see a post for "cherry egger" ...my first thought was wth is a cherry egger. I click on the comments and a lady had asked what it was and if it layed colored eggs. So the guy replies no brown. Then he posts the ad from which he bought the pullet from...

Can you say Marketing Gimmick!!! I was like so basically it's a RIR.

 

[fangedknight]

2 red bronze and 1 bourbon buff, though I'm not sure yet if I'm going to part with the buff. The ones coming in July are from Porter's heritage turkeys and they'll be a mix of colors.

Okie dokie, let me know about the bourbon buff, I actually haven't heard of a buff variety before. Keith really liked the red bourbons when we were looking up turkeys earlier.

So awesome news! Keith is totally embracing his bird daddy duties with Charlie and Klaus! To the point where he was the one saying "Let's get the bathtub filled! Play time!" I'm really really happy about how he's taken to them. Apparently all I had to do was bring home some waterfowl! Lol The other awesome news is that Charlie was able to traverse the whole tub without touching the bottom! (Except in the shallow end). We got Klaus swimming finally with the water level up high enough and it was hilarious!

We did notice that Charlie freaked out when I pulled Klaus out first to get dried off. We think she's imprinted on him, I'm guessing this is normal even though they're the same age???

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Okie dokie, let me know about the bourbon buff, I actually haven't heard of a buff variety before. Keith really liked the red bourbons when we were looking up turkeys earlier.

So awesome news! Keith is totally embracing his bird daddy duties with Charlie and Klaus! To the point where he was the one saying "Let's get the bathtub filled! Play time!" I'm really really happy about how he's taken to them. Apparently all I had to do was bring home some waterfowl! Lol The other awesome news is that Charlie was able to traverse the whole tub without touching the bottom! (Except in the shallow end). We got Klaus swimming finally with the water level up high enough and it was hilarious!

We did notice that Charlie freaked out when I pulled Klaus out first to get dried off. We think she's imprinted on him, I'm guessing this is normal even though they're the same age???

Water fowl will bond with their siblings as well as their parents (or adoptive parents). Our two goslings HATE to be seperated and will cry for each other if they're out of sight of each other.

The buff is just a slightly lighter shade of red than the Bourbon reds but we butchered our buff tom. I MAY have 2 extra bourbon reds out in the coop. They're older though, like 4 months old or so. I'm not positive of sex yet. I have 3 out there and only need 1 red tom.

 

[KJ6485]

A hen may need a bit of time to transition from 'setting mode' to 'mama mode'. Some make the transition quickly but not always. A hen sitting on eggs feels the movement of the chicks in the eggs the day before hatching and hears them begin to cheap after internal pip....these cues allow them to start transitioning. When a hen doesn't get the natural cues it just may take longer to adapt to the sudden arrival of fuzz balls.
Patience and observation are key...sounds like your flock is tolerating the fuzzy invaders well, which is good. You can make a scrambled egg and chop it super fine and put it in a low sided dish and place it near the broody and see if she calls chicks to it. Just watch for any signs of aggressive behavior so you can intervene and put the chick back under the hen so she gets used to feeling and hearing them a bit more before she sees them.
Chicks get used to heat lights very quickly, so depending on how old they were (24 hrs or 48 hrs?) They may be more willing to roam a bit. It will be an adjustment for them also.

Thanks! This morning momma is off the nest and has 10 minis following her around! Too cute and yes, my hens are very very tolerable, I haven't seen any of them do anythi g other than run away from the little ones, when a chick runs up to one of the hens you would think it was a fox the way that hen runs away!

 

[stake]

Thanks! This morning momma is off the nest and has 10 minis following her around! Too cute and yes, my hens are very very tolerable, I haven't seen any of them do anythi g other than run away from the little ones, when a chick runs up to one of the hens you would think it was a fox the way that hen runs away!

KJ:

Keep an extra eye when around the food bowl....even with a good mama its easy for little'ins to get squashed.....my two cents......

 

[KJ6485]

KJ:

Keep an extra eye when around the food bowl....even with a good mama its easy for little'ins to get squashed.....my two cents......

Thanks! I put an extra feeder and waterer in, at a different location to try to minimize traffic flow. Right now I have an interesting issue, my run is made out of chainlink/2x4 mesh combo. Well, obviously the babies fit through ......momma is inside, babies and running in and out in mommas general area. Ugh.

I do realize that my run isn't predator proof, I lock the girls up every night inside their coop, the fence is there to keep them contained and to act as a dog barrier to my neighbors dumb dog that doesn't get kept in their own yard