should I separate my broody hen?

[FelixFelicis]

Hello

I have a small flock of 5- 3 welsummer hens, an orpington hen and an orpington roo- in my back garden, and one of my hens, a welsummer, has gone broody and has been sitting on 3 orpington eggs for the past 3 days. I understand that welsummer hens are not known for being the best mothers but I've decided I'll let her have a go anyway. I have a friend close by who is currently hatching eggs in an incubator and is willing to take my chicks into her brooder should my hen prove a useless mother. I have never hatched chicks before so this is all new to me and I'm not sure how I should proceed! I would like to let her hatch her chicks in the main coop with the existing flock, to avoid having to reintroduce her and the chicks at a later date, but the coop is raised (as you can see in the picture) a couple of feet above the ground, and the roosts are also raised, the lowest as about 17 inches high. I'm asuming this would make an unsuitable home for chicks? So I'm planning on putting her in a broody coop with an attached run alongside the existing run (please note that we have now doubled the width of the run, so it is twice the size of that seen in the picture). That way she may still be able to have some interaction with the existing flock. So, should I separate the broody hen and her eggs now, or wait until closer to the due date or until after the chicks have hatched? and how long should I keep her separated for? Until she weans the chicks away from her? or until the chicks are ready to go in with the flock? at what age would the chicks be able to go in with the flock, if at all? Will i need to add some kind of heat to the broody coop? or will my hen provide enough heat for the chicks for the cool uk summer nights?

Thanks in advance! here's some pictures of the existing coop.

 

[trailrider330]

What a cute little coop.

In the past, I have always let my broody hens stay right where they are to cause them as little disruption as possible. I typically wait until chicks are hatched or pipping to move them to a safer location (i.e. closer to the ground and away from other chickens). Although when I move them, I typically wait until dusk when everyone else is roosting and I am less likely to upset the broody hen. I typically keep them separated for at least a few weeks (but still in a spot they can see the rest of the flock) and then let them start to free-range with my other chickens. For several weeks they returned to their brooder at dusk on their own. Then the hen decided she wanted her chicks to be in the coop with everyone else and she took her chicks in there at dusk. Since they were both good mothers I decided to let them stay in the coop with the others. I would say they were around 6 weeks old at that point.

If your broody is a a good mother she will protect them from the others and keep them warm enough that you should not need any additional heat source.

 

[MistyMountain]

I have had both of my welsummers go broody and hatch eggs this summer. One hatched 7 of 9 guinea eggs and the other hatched 9 of 12 LF mixed eggs. They both were great mothers. The first, with the guineas, did do a lot of scratching and sent the keets flying often, but they survived. She did a great job of finding little bugs and sharing them with her babies. The second hen's chicks are just now 3 weeks old. She is fiercely protective, so much that we can not even hold the chicks. I would consider both hens to be fantastic mothers.

Both hens hatched in our broody coop. I also had a cochin hen hatch in our main coop in a pet carrier. There are things I liked about both hatching locations, that I think you are doing well with your ideas. I liked that the cochin hen was right in the coop with everyone. I kept them locked in the pet carrier unless supervised for about 2 weeks. There was plenty of room for them in there. Then let them out with the flock. They fit right in. No issues at all. The broody coop worked well for large hatches and I like that they had a lot of room to move around.

I think giving the hen a quiet place to hatch is a great idea. No worries about other hens laying more eggs or chasing her away. I like that they will share a run fence and can get to know each other that way. I also think you could probably allow her to brood them in the coop. The roosts are no problem once their little feathers come in. Until they are ready to roost, Mom will keep them warm and cozy in the nest box. I think my biggest worry would be the height of the coop, and even that would only be for the first week or so. Is there any way to give the hen and the chicks a small blocked off area inside the coop? Something big enough to move a bit and have a waterer and food dish? The chicks will fly soon enough and hop well enough to get up the ramp. It is just when they are new and without the real feathers that they can be clumsy and end up falling off the porch and not being able to get back up.

Just a little warning too… if the hen is brooding in one of your nest boxes, the nest box will become full of chick poop!

 

[song of joy]

I love your coop! It's adorable!

My preference is to physically (but not visually) isolate the broody from the rest of the flock. That way, other hens are not adding their eggs to her nest (resulting in staggered incubation) and potentially breaking eggs in the process. I keep her isolated during incubation, hatch, and for 4 or 5 days after the hatch. During that 4 to 5 day period post-hatch, the chicks get their footing, grow a bit stronger, learn from mom how to eat and drink, learn that mom is their source of heat and protection, and learn to listen to mom's various calls. By day 4 or 5, the bond between mom and chicks is VERY strong, and I've found that it's safe to let her take them into the flock. She will protect them from the adult birds, and they will become integrated into the flock.

The tricky part is moving mom and eggs, as she'll be fixed on her current nest. I've had good luck moving mom and eggs in the evening. She may be restless the next day and spend a good deal of time off the nest, letting the eggs chill, OR she may settle right down on the eggs and keep incubating. It helps if she can't see the location of the previous nest. If she's off the eggs for several hours before re-settling, you could switch out the current eggs for a new set of fertile eggs. That's a good reason to move her now rather than wait until later in incubation. Just make sure you set all of the eggs at the same time, so they hatch at the same time. When moving a broody hen, there's always a chance that it will break her of being broody, but I've never had that happen if they're already been seriously setting for at least 3 days.

You won't need to add supplemental heat to a broody coop. The hen will be fine, and she'll make sure the eggs and the chicks stay warm.

It's an absolute delight watching a mother hen with her chicks!