roosters

[sagicraw]

just starting a flock and asking if I have a rooster do I need to keep it separate at night from the hens in the coop? how about if a hen is brooding eggs I want to hatch do I need to keep her separate as well? Thanks for all the sage advice on this site.
sagicraw

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

The rooster can be with the hens. As for the broody, make sure she is committed to setting. Put her somewhere where the other birds cannot disturb her(like a dog crate or tractor, that is what I used with mine. She will need access to food, water, and a place to poo nasty huge poops). After about a week old, she can take the chicks out to be with the flock.

 

[sagicraw]

So for the whole time she is sitting on the eggs she should be in this place? Is it within the coop but separated or in another area like your dog crate or tractor? Then after the chicks hatch when they are a week old they can be brought into the main coop with the other older hens and rooster? Is that correct? Thank you

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Here is what I did with mine. She was sleeping on the nest for 2 days before I made her get up. I put her outside, and she stood there for a minute, came out of her trance and ate a little and went to the nest. I did this again the next day, same thing, she went back to the nest. So I collected eggs I wanted her to hatch and marked them with a sharpie so I could see if she stole any or other hens laid in her box. After her sitting on the marked eggs for a week, I candled them to make sure they were developing(they were) and then after dark I picked her up and had my son grab the eggs and we transferred her to the chicken tractor. She continued to sit on the eggs and accepted the tractor nest box. I candled again at 14 days, only 2 of the 3 eggs developed to this point so I removed the underdeveloped egg(I also had a couple of fake eggs in with her so she thought she had about 6 eggs she was sitting on). On day 20 one hatched and 21 the other hatched. I left them closed in the tractor for a week. I then opened the tractor and made sure no one attacked her or the chicks(I let the normal pecking order stuff happen). Momma immediately reasserted herself in the pecking order. If the chicks got too close to another hen they would peck the chicks head(not too hard, but to let it know it was lower than her).You just kinda have to know you own flock's dynamics to know when to step in or let them be chickens. I would chase my rooster off if he tried to mate her, as she wanted nothing to do with him(I am top rooster in my flock and my rooster knows it). If you don't have a tractor you can do the same with a large dog crate and keep it inside the coop if room allows. She just has to have water, food, and a place to poop away from the nest. Good Luck

ETA: I let momma choose to use the tractor or the main coop to take her and the chicks. She chose the tractor until the day she was taken by a hawk, so my orphan LF chick is in the brooder with my DW's Silkie chicks the same age. You should have a brooder on stand-by around hatch day incase momma hen is not a good momma(it happens)

 

[sagicraw]

Thanks turtlep

 

[sagicraw]

If I keep the dog crate in the coop, is it closed or is she able to go in and out openly?

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I would keep it closed, IMO. But some leave it open. Depends on your flock