Surrogate mom wants to go broody again

[spiceholler]

We have a broody hen and successfully grafted 5 chicks to her about two weeks ago. She and her adoptees are happily spending some quality time in a pen adjacent to the coop. Their sleeping quarters are attached to the coop, but separated by a wire partition.

Previously, we tried this and left the chicks with their surrogate too long before reintegrating them with our flock, and the surrogate did not regain health.

This time, we are trying to correct that wrong.

We have started letting the surrogate and her chicks out of the pen (under supervision, we free range), and she has successfully proven that she can protect her chicks. Interestingly, she only lets our original flock get close to the chicks. Our second batch of hens are immediately corrected if they get close. Yesterday, we let them out, and when we weren't' looking, the surrogate made a run for it and went back to the nest box she had been brooding in! Her chicks were peeping waiting for her in their "room" for their mom!

We don't want the chicks to be orphans as they are not fully feathered! So now, we think we should wait a little bit longer before integrating, as we don't want to end up the same place we started!!! Does this seem like a good idea?

The other option would be to remove the partition so she and her chicks can be together, and if she chooses to go into her favorite nest box to brood, they can come along.

I absolutely love this process, but it is so stressful! I don't want to be too controlling, but I also want to ensure everybody is safe. Nature is hard!

 

[DobieLover]

Interestingly, she only lets our original flock get close to the chicks.

This is very normal. She knows them and trusts them. Pullets are rarely tolerated around a hens chicks.

the surrogate made a run for it and went back to the nest box she had been brooding in!

Was she actually just sitting there trying to start setting again?

Nature is hard!

Not if they are set up well enough to manage things naturally and you don't have any birds with aberrant behaviors.

The other option would be to remove the partition

Yes. Once the chicks are highly mobile, I remove all barriers preventing mom from taking her chicks into the flock when she is good and ready to do so.

 

[lomine]

If she sits in the nest box, she isn't going to take them around to eat and drink. A good broody will leave the nest and any unhatched eggs to take care of live chicks.

Is she a first timer? Sometimes the new ones take a bit to get used to it. I would separate her with the chicks for a bit longer. I would block off her favorite nest box each time you let them out with the flock, so she isn't tempted.

Keep in mind, some hens will sit but just aren't good broodies. I've had a few in my flock. I let them try a couple times but if they don't get it (or kill chicks) I won't let them brood anymore. Have a backup plan ready just in case.

 

[spiceholler]

Keep in mind, some hens will sit but just aren't good broodies.

trying to understand what this means?

 

[lomine]

trying to understand what this means?

I have my chickens for bug control and fertilizer. I let the hens sit if they want to and don't normally interfere. I really don't care if they ruin eggs as I normally end up giving most of my eggs away anyway. I've had many go broody and a few have been great. Others just don't get it. They have the desire to sit on eggs/a nest but aren't good at raising chicks to a be old enough to be on their own or end up causing other problems. It's all well and good if they want to sit but if you don't end with grown out chicks they aren't good broodies. Some examples from my experience:

A hen that jumped from nest to nest. Only sitting in each nest for 3-4 days and then moving on. She'd sometimes moved to a nest with just one egg. She never settled and I had to break her broodiness to get her to stop.

Another sat and was able to hatch chicks but wouldn't leave the nest and the chicks died without her protection. They either got too cold or were killed by the other chickens or barn cats.

Another hatched chicks and killed them herself. After the last mishap I put this group in a dog kennel so she was the only one that could have caused their deaths. She immediately went to sit on another nest when I let her out, so I broke her broodiness and never let her sit again.

A hen that wanted to sit but fought with other broodies and pushed them out of their nests. She kicked a couple off their nests and then moved to another in the matter of two days. Her fighting with the last one ended in the death of some freshly hatched chicks. They weren't even dry. I found her sitting on them and the other eggs. I separated her from the flock after that and ended up culling her.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Maybe she is ready to start laying again? My broody started laying about 3 weeks after hatching her chicks but still took care of them.