Raising Baby Chicks In Coop?

[zebal]

Hello, I have had trouble finding this information on this specific problem.

Quick coop husbandry. I have a coop and run large enough to comfortably suit approximately 16 large chickens. I have 8 large and 12 bantams. The "old" crew were 10 mixed heavy/bantams females from mypetchicken. The "new" crew are 10 straight run mixed heavy/bantams from Atwoods. 6 of the new crew ended up being roosters. So my rooster/hen ratio is out of whack.

A quick prestory to my quiestion. Whilst raising the new crew in the metal stock tank Atwoods one chick in particular was very aggressive. It was a beautiful chick whose tail was bloodied at the store. I have wanted that particular looking chick since last year--which I have discovered as being a Brahma cochin (orange/black). I thought "you know what, I am going to save this little guy and pick up some friends while I am at it since I have to buy at least 6 at once!" I ended up buying 10. Wouldn't you know it after separating the Brahma for 5 days to let its tail heal the moment I put it with the group it immediately punch pecks the nearest chick and keeps up until I had enough and gave it time out. All the while I had a gray silkie that has been broody for a couple months over eggs. After repeated attempts with the Brahma with finger bops on the head and stern "NOs" followed with lovins I decided to put him under the broody silkie Indian Jones style. The silkie took to it and she got off the nest and went from a depressed looking woman to cluck cluckin' the day away with baby in tow--fighting tooth and nail to stick up for her baby any time one of my barred rocks bowed up at it.

It was a success in my book. My Brahma got socialization and after a week with its momma I put it back with the others and it did not peck anyone unless they got too close. It even tried to desperately find a way out of the brooder cause it knew its mama was out there--to which shortly I reunited them.

Well the Brahma who I called Oscar the grouch from the get go ended up being a rooster and the head rooster on top of that. There are 5 bantam roos and one heavy roo.

I am planning to get rid of all but one or two bantam roos. I have really taken to one roo cause he always flies up on my shoulder like a parrot. I might have broken that bond recently because since he started crowing I put a collar on him. He has not jumped up on my shoulder but he is still sweet and will stay on my shoulder if I put him there.

Anyways I wanted the chance to rear some of my own chicks before I give my roos away, especially from the heavy chickens since I will be getting rid of my Dark Cornish albeit him being a handsome devil.

I chose one egg and started to candle it each week. It was apparent something was growing. I did not date the egg like I am now just marked it so I was unsure of when it would hatch. But when I candled it this past Friday I could not see through it all. Light only came out of the air sack. I thought this was really good or bad and put the egg back under coincidentally the same gray silkie as before. I am trying to give as many of my broody hens the momma experience as I can especially after seeing my gray silkie so happy raising the Brahma chick.

I come home Saturday afternoon and check the coop for eggs. Look under the silkie and the egg isn't there. I got panicked and started looking high and low. I found a furry little corpse of a baby black/gray silkie chick not on the floor but the second level. The only way it could get up there is if it were carried. After turning it over I can see where its skull was pecked so hard it was fatal. There was a pain in my heart that my first natural from the egg baby was murdered. I know it had to have been a rooster. I cannot see my little silkie momma not protect her baby or harm it herself. I make the assumption that in getting off the nest to get water the chick was undefended from an opportunistic rooster.

So I am starting again this week and dating my eggs. I was going to move the broody mothers to a stock tank when the eggs are 2 days from hatching and move out a majority of the chickens so that even if I do have roosters they are the nicest ones and my rooster/hen ratio will be close the 1:12 rule of thumb.

So my question is does anybody raise chicks completely natural without incubating? Is it just expected to loose babies if you have roosters or just when you have more than 1 rooster per 12 hens? Where like lions they know a chick is not their baby and kill it. Did a rooster sense the baby chick was a rooster and culled it?

I know commercially chickens die left and right but these are my babies. In my experience I have only had one chick die out of my MPC order shortly after receiving and one from heat stress this summer that was compounded because she was also recovering from bumblefoot surgery--which after autopsy was discovered to be healing up great.

Anyone have experience with this? I want try and give some of my hens the momma experience, but obviously there are some risks nature gives to make that a little harder. I am even a bit worried now on letting the hens hatch them in peace in the stock tank but with how that gray silkie took to a 2 week old Brahma like she did I cannot see her or another hen harming a baby chick.

 

[lazy gardener]

First off, what are the dimensions of your coop? What are the dimensions of your run? Do you have a broody cage where you can put your broody hen and her eggs so that they won't be molested by the other chickens? The ideal, IMO would be for the broody to have a safe place where she can brood her clutch of eggs away from the rest of the flock, while still being able to see and be seen by them. You should definitely get your rooster count down to 1 - 2 roos to cover this size flock. IMO, I'd be happy having just one rooster. As far as a rooster killing a baby chick: If that happened in my flock, that rooster would be on the dinner table within 24 hours. My roo is a wonderful daddy. He tidbits the babies, just like he does his favorite hens. He climbs in the nest boxes, and fluffs up the bedding, inviting the girls into his favorite nest. I'm guessing that it is more likely that one of your hens or pullets killed the chick. If your flock is at all crowded, that might contribute to the aggression which led to the death of this chick.

 

[Blooie]

x2 You'd be surprised at how often a broody will set eggs faithfully and then suddenly kill the chicks as they hatch, as well.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have multiple roosters, I've never seen aggression from a rooster to a chick, I have seen other hen trying to kill chicks, that's why hens who are sitting on eggs are isolated but still in the coop, I keep them penned until the chicks can avoid other hens, about two weeks, other hens will grab the chicks and toss them. I have seen roosters trying to care for chicks, so I think it was another hen.

 

[zebal]

First off, what are the dimensions of your coop? What are the dimensions of your run? Do you have a broody cage where you can put your broody hen and her eggs so that they won't be molested by the other chickens?

Off the top of my head 8' L X 6' W X 8' H.

Chicken run is about 50 sq ft.

I do not have a broody cage. Shouldn't be too hard to build one but in the interim I will transfer to the stock tank and see what happens there.



This pictures are when I first bought my house before I got chickens.

 

[lazy gardener]

According to those dimensions, your coop at best would be roomy enough for 12 full sized hens, and your run is only big enough for 5 hens. Do they get out to free range all day, every day? If not, I'm guessing that overcrowding may be a big part of your aggression problem. Thank you so much for posting a pic. I am doing a permanent run around my coop, and want them to have access underneath it for shade, but need to block off the front. I need to make some access panels across the front, and the lattice I have sitting around will be perfect for that. I'll borrow your lattice idea!

 

[ninjawesome]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[zebal]

According to those dimensions, your coop at best would be roomy enough for 12 full sized hens, and your run is only big enough for 5 hens. Do they get out to free range all day, every day? If not, I'm guessing that overcrowding may be a big part of your aggression problem. Thank you so much for posting a pic. I am doing a permanent run around my coop, and want them to have access underneath it for shade, but need to block off the front. I need to make some access panels across the front, and the lattice I have sitting around will be perfect for that. I'll borrow your lattice idea!

I walked it off today and it was actually closer to 300 sq. ft. I do not have a good feel for imagining how large area is in square feet. Where 1 sq ft in my head is closer to a sq yard. I was thinking about putting some roosting poles or boards that spanned across the coop about a foot or so below the ceiling to give a high point for them to roost. Only a few troublemaking escape artist have their wings trimmed down as I have put up a tarp-like ceiling over the whole run to deter aerial predators and escapees but still some of the chickens got through some holes where the grass is literally greener on the other side of the coop.

Welcome to BYC!

Thank you. Been stalking the site for awhile and was so curious and angry about my first chick's death I just had to ask about it.