Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Carters Chick House]

I have given away several hens who were aggressive toward chicks. I think that breeding broodiness out of hens may be affecting their behavior toward chicks in general. I am not talking about normal "it's my food, you have to wait" behavior, but brutal, murderous hatred, where a chick is deliberately cornered and attacked viciously.

I will never set the eggs of hens who have violent tendencies.

I've only had chickens for a few years. I am just now seeing one of my older broody hens (she is sitting on eggs) come off her nest,see the two chicks with another hen,then run over and attack the chicks. No blood or death yet as I intervene. I am concerned. Hope she will chill when her chicks hatch.

 

[MaryJanet]

My version is an empty cat food tin nailed to a broom handle.

When I read your post, for some reason I thought "that's so RC." I guess it was the cat food tin!

 

[fuzzi]

I've only had chickens for a few years. I am just now seeing one of my older broody hens (she is sitting on eggs) come off her nest,see the two chicks with another hen,then run over and attack the chicks. No blood or death yet as I intervene. I am concerned. Hope she will chill when her chicks hatch.

I had a chick badly injured that way, though the perpetrator was the rooster.

 

[Carters Chick House]

I have given away several hens who were aggressive toward chicks. I think that breeding broodiness out of hens may be affecting their behavior toward chicks in general. I am not talking about normal "it's my food, you have to wait" behavior, but brutal, murderous hatred, where a chick is deliberately cornered and attacked viciously.

I will never set the eggs of hens who have violent

I had a chick badly injured that way, though the perpetrator was the rooster.

That's what I'm afraid of. Chickens can be brutal.

 

[Shadrach]

My version is an empty cat food tin nailed to a broom handle.

I just can't see a hen fitting in the tin.

 

[fuzzi]

I had an interesting development with my flock. Rahab has been taking her four chicks up on the roost, for 3-4 days. The other broody, Tamar, is still sleeping with her two chicks in a nest box.

Last night I checked after dark, everyone was in their place up on the roost, even Hannah who has been trying to be broody.

Here's Rahab covering her brood:

And Tamar with her two...

...wait...three?

One of Rahab's chicks decided to spend the night with Tamar's brood. No issues.

 

[Carters Chick House]

I had an interesting development with my flock. Rahab has been taking her four chicks up on the roost, for 3-4 days. The other broody, Tamar, is still sleeping with her two chicks in a nest box.

Last night I checked after dark, everyone was in their place up on the roost, even Hannah who has been trying to be broody.

Here's Rahab covering her brood:
View attachment 3873144

And Tamar with her two...
View attachment 3873145...wait...three?

One of Rahab's chicks decided to spend the night with Tamar's brood. No issues.
View attachment 3873147

That's so great. All hens and chicks with no aggressive behavior toward each other.

 

[Shadrach]

warm and dry. An hour this morning and three this afternoon.
Chicks were out again when I arrived. I've fixed the stretch they've been using and there is another that they could go through which I'll do tomorrow.

 

[LaurenRitz]

My version is an empty cat food tin nailed to a broom handle.

I keep one of these in the coop.

 

[RoyalChick]

I keep one of these in the coop.View attachment 3873254

Yes. I do too. The cat dood run is just really helpful for retrieving eggs so I have both.