The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[CherMoz]

Hi gang,

So what's is everyone's experience in introducing chicks to a broody hen, specifically has anyone had luck introducing week old chicks to a broody? I am hoping that my Dark Cornish is finally broody again, she had a bare breast and is sitting on golf balls this am for hours. Our babies are a week old today and I was just curious what your experiences have been like. Thanks so much in advance for the knowledge you all share.

PS - I took her off the golf balls at around 11:30 when I took some kale out to the gang. When I just collected eggs at 12:20 she was back on the same nest sitting on golf balls. I am going to let her be and then see if I can get her moved tomorrow night, if she is serious, to the small coop blocked from others on the balls for another day or so and then try to slip her a few chicks at night. I understand it is just trial and error and each hen differs. I am hopeful at this point as these guys are a feisty bunch and will outgrow their in the house brooder by next weekend. If she doesn't stay broody then I will be building the mama hen heating pad broody and set that up in the small coop with part of the run blocked from the rest of the gang. That is my plan and hope right now.

I had success slipping turkey poults as well as meat chicks under broody hens. These broody hens had been "setting" for at least three weeks on golf balls. I slipped the poults/chicks under the broody hens late at night (to let the hen's smell transfer to the poults/chicks overnight). When doing this, I had the poults/chicks fully protected by my hand, so the broody hens would not peck them. Be ready to intervene!! You would need to be there right away in the morning to see whether or not the hen/chicks had accepted each other. Some hens will KILL these planted chicks.

I just tried this again with meat chicks a couple of nights ago. This time, it did not work. The hens had been broody for too long (over five weeks) and were breaking broodiness.

If your hen just went broody, I'm afraid she may not be ready to accept chicks.

Good luck!

 

[Lacy Blues]

I agree with CherMoz. They need to be broody for a while before introducing chicks. They have to go through some process that takes time. If you put chicks in there after only one week, I think you're asking for trouble... other than that, the chicks being a week old already may not accept the broody.

 

[slordaz]

from what I have been seeing with a duckling raised with the chicks and playing momma to them, the chicks started showing who would be a brooder and who wouldn't for about a week now, the older pullets 2/3 of them took in chicks even during the day time and 1 proceeded to play mommy to the small chicks and 1 to the new mallard duckling and meat chicks that just came out of quarantine, we got to try and break the super glued chick from the duck as she is getting so big so fast, had more problem with the older duckling accepting new members to the flock. The oldest ones we are guessing somewhere between 8 and 10 weeks old. We will have to wait and see when they are old enough to start laying, but this is the one that heard the new baby chicks and freaked out until we let her have them.

Today they got to get out of the run for a about an hour of free ranging that was funny but this pullet wouldn't leave the babies, think they are RIR's lol

 

[slordaz]

hey everyone just got this from the prairie homestead and thought some of you may be interested in attending this free summit on essential oils, it should give you a lot of good ideas and information you can use for your family and flock, feel free to attend if ya want if you don't that's fine too

http://healthyoilsummit.com/early-bird-registration/

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks

 

[slordaz]

your very welcome . got a pic yesterday of the new chicks that my BR chicknapped and is raising them lol, not bad for a pullet still a ways off from laying eggs herself, she recruits the others to help defend themif the blue swedish that was raised in the brooding pen with them gets to close as the duck doesn't like new members to the flock and is alot bigger than the chicks

 

[Leahs Mom]

That's amazing that she is taking care of them. I love hearing that things like that happen. I wonder if any of my birds would do the same?

 

[slordaz]

I think it is because the Duck was raised with them, she was just a baby herself but took it upon herself to mother the baby chicks we got at the same time as her.but we interact and keep an eye still too.

we started with chicks and duckling, there were no other older birds to put their 2 cents in. 2 of the 3 older chicks adopted , the other chick took in the baby mallard the older duckling didn't like and the meat chicks trying to mother them but they didn't want to be mothered lol

and as they are used to us always doing something and changing things we can introduce even during the daytime just have to watch the older duck as she can be quite mean to new birds in the coup or run

 

[flagirl]

I just signed up for healthy oil summit thru another blogger Marnie Clark who is a breast cancer survivor and is highly recommending this. the presenters all look great, including one for animal use.

 

[COChix]

I had success slipping turkey poults as well as meat chicks under broody hens.  These broody hens had been "setting" for at least three weeks on golf balls.  I slipped the poults/chicks under the broody hens late at night (to let the hen's smell transfer to the poults/chicks overnight).  When doing this, I had the poults/chicks fully protected by my hand, so the broody hens would not peck them.  Be ready to intervene!!  You would need to be there right away in the morning to see whether or not the hen/chicks had accepted each other.  Some hens will KILL these planted chicks.

I just tried this again with meat chicks a couple of nights ago.  This time, it did not work.  The hens had been broody for too long (over five weeks) and were breaking broodiness.  

If your hen just went broody, I'm afraid she may not be ready to accept chicks.

Good luck!

I agree with CherMoz.  They need to be broody for a while before introducing chicks.  They have to go through some process that takes time.  If you put chicks in there after only one week, I think you're asking for trouble...  other than that, the chicks being a week old already may not accept the broody.

Thank you both for your input. I have been reading more and chatting with folks and it seems probably that window of opportunity has passed for letting the broody raise the chicks. I guess, if I wanted I could let her set on eggs. I am back to my original plan for our week old babies, I will be making the heating pad brooder and moving them out to the small coop. We can block off part of the run for them as well. During the day everyone will be able to see the babies and the babies can see their parents. One nice days, I will let the babies into the run. Down the road when they are older, I will follow the same model that Vpatt did with her youngsters when we integrate with the flock. What they did was all based on advice from this thread.

Anyway thanks again.