Totally converted to broody raised chicks!

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

I’m totally converted to broody raised chicks. Now that I live on a larger piece of property, it was finally time to let a broody mama hatch out some babies! I used a hen that’s extremely dedicated to sitting, has a good temperament, and is docile even when broody since I wanted to be able to handle the chicks to make them as friendly as brooder babies. My bantam Cochin frizzle hen Millie fit that criteria! I let her sit on 7 pure bred Ameraucana eggs, 6 hatched, and she’s an absolutely wonderful, attentive, and gentle mother. The chicks are thriving and are extremely healthy and vigorous with pretty much no work from me! It’s been in the 30s at night and they’re doing fantastic with mama Millie. Millie also lets me hang out with them and pick them up as I please with zero fuss!
I built a broody mama area in my chicken yard and rigged up a little prefab coop for them to sleep in at night. She brooded and is raising the chicks in this area until the chicks are large enough to be integrated. Millie isn’t very high on the pecking order so I do worry about letting the chicks and her mingle when they’re so small. The broody area is 48sq ft anyways, so plenty big enough until the chicks are around 6-8 weeks old! Healthy, sweet chicks that don’t have to be coddled indoors is so amazing! Millie will definitely be hatching out and raising many more future batches of chicks… next might be olive eggers or Isabel Ameraucanas.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I love having a good mama hen raising chicks.

 

[Perris]

best part of chicken-keeping imo

In case you didn't know it already, the chicks' behaviour with the caterpillar is classed as playing, btw. It's used on some welfare scoring systems to indicate happy healthy birds

 

[Cheff Lopp]

it is good

 

[K0k0shka]

Broodies are so convenient, aren't they? I'm letting one hatch chicks every year, she's awesome. The broody doesn't have to be high in the pecking order to be able to protect her chicks though. The mama hormones give her extra courage. My designated broody was second from the bottom before she hatched her first chicks, and smaller than most of the flock. But when those chicks hatched... Oh man, feathers would fly if anybody (other than me) dared to get close to the chicks! She would even go after The Queen. After her chicks grew up and left the flock, she kept her elevated status. She would defer to the queen, but pretty much no longer take from anybody else. She's on her 3rd brood right now and by now everybody knows to leave her alone when she has chicks. I don't separate her, she stays with the flock.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

best part of chicken-keeping imo

In case you didn't know it already, the chicks' behaviour with the caterpillar is classed as playing, btw. It's used on some welfare scoring systems to indicate happy healthy birds

It’s so amazing to watch a good mama hen raise some chicks! Millie will definitely be allowed to be a mama again, especially since she’s pretty much perfect as a first timer!

I didn’t know that fact! That’s super interesting and nice to know that the babies are happy and healthy! They love finding little bugs and running off with them lol.

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Broodies are so convenient, aren't they? I'm letting one hatch chicks every year, she's awesome. The broody doesn't have to be high in the pecking order to be able to protect her chicks though. The mama hormones give her extra courage. My designated broody was second from the bottom before she hatched her first chicks, and smaller than most of the flock. But when those chicks hatched... Oh man, feathers would fly if anybody (other than me) dared to get close to the chicks! She would even go after The Queen. After her chicks grew up and left the flock, she kept her elevated status. She would defer to the queen, but pretty much no longer take from anybody else. She's on her 3rd brood right now and by now everybody knows to leave her alone when she has chicks. I don't separate her, she stays with the flock.

Yes they are! I’m probably going to have a broody raise chicks for me from now on haha. The chicks just seem so much more vigorous and grow so much faster with a mama. They run around in our 35-40 degree mornings like nothing! I might try and let Millie out for a bit to see how well she protects the babies! Makes me a bit nervous for the first time haha. She’s also a bantam with a lot of the flock being standard big breeds like Marans, Orpingtons, Ameraucanas, etc.

 

[cute chicks here]

I’m totally converted to broody raised chicks. Now that I live on a larger piece of property, it was finally time to let a broody mama hatch out some babies! I used a hen that’s extremely dedicated to sitting, has a good temperament, and is docile even when broody since I wanted to be able to handle the chicks to make them as friendly as brooder babies. My bantam Cochin frizzle hen Millie fit that criteria! I let her sit on 7 pure bred Ameraucana eggs, 6 hatched, and she’s an absolutely wonderful, attentive, and gentle mother. The chicks are thriving and are extremely healthy and vigorous with pretty much no work from me! It’s been in the 30s at night and they’re doing fantastic with mama Millie. Millie also lets me hang out with them and pick them up as I please with zero fuss!
I built a broody mama area in my chicken yard and rigged up a little prefab coop for them to sleep in at night. She brooded and is raising the chicks in this area until the chicks are large enough to be integrated. Millie isn’t very high on the pecking order so I do worry about letting the chicks and her mingle when they’re so small. The broody area is 48sq ft anyways, so plenty big enough until the chicks are around 6-8 weeks old! Healthy, sweet chicks that don’t have to be coddled indoors is so amazing! Millie will definitely be hatching out and raising many more future batches of chicks… next might be olive eggers or Isabel Ameraucanas.

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I had a broody bantam cochin that had wanted to sit on eggs so I gave her some from a friend that had fertile eggs and she hatched 3 on mothers day. My question is, both the cochin mom and my other older hen can be picked up and handled. These babys are so fast to run that I have only probably picked them each up once and its going on 4 weeks now.The mother is doing a great job raising them but I wonder if they will get friendlier as they get older. I sit out there with them about an hour a day so I think they should know me by now.

 

[K0k0shka]

I had a broody bantam cochin that had wanted to sit on eggs so I gave her some from a friend that had fertile eggs and she hatched 3 on mothers day. My question is, both the cochin mom and my other older hen can be picked up and handled. These babys are so fast to run that I have only probably picked them each up once and its going on 4 weeks now.The mother is doing a great job raising them but I wonder if they will get friendlier as they get older. I sit out there with them about an hour a day so I think they should know me by now.

It really depends on the chicks - both the breed, and individual personalities. The hen (and you) can only do so much. If the chicks are flighty by nature, they can't really be turned into lap chickens. I have observed this in my attempts, too. Same broody every year - super friendly, always comes into my lap and calls the chicks over. And I always spend lots of time with the flock, socializing. Year 1 (of this broody) she hatched barnyard mix chicks from a friend's eggs, extremely flighty, I never got to touch any of them until they grew up and got rehomed/eaten. Year 2, I got her English Orpington eggs, but from a breeder who specializes in looks rather than personality, and again, the chicks were very skittish. Being Orpington helped though - they would come into my lap by week 3, but I could never touch them or approach them myself. I kept one, she's 1 year old now and I still can't touch her or pick her up, but she'll eat from my hand and stand next to me if I don't try to pet her. And this is year 3 for this broody, this time I gave her Buff Orpingtons. Unlike other years, I got chicks instead of eggs, and I didn't spend any time with them for the first 2-3 weeks, because they were meant to be dinner. Imagine my surprise when I sat down one day and both of them followed their mom into my lap, and let me pet them! I have started spending time with them now (decided to keep one after all), and they will come to me, snuggle with me, perch on my shoulder, nap in my arms, etc. They are 7 weeks old today. Buff Orpingtons are known far and wide for their friendliness, and I guess their fame is deserved!

 

[cute chicks here]

It really depends on the chicks - both the breed, and individual personalities. The hen (and you) can only do so much. If the chicks are flighty by nature, they can't really be turned into lap chickens. I have observed this in my attempts, too. Same broody every year - super friendly, always comes into my lap and calls the chicks over. And I always spend lots of time with the flock, socializing. Year 1 (of this broody) she hatched barnyard mix chicks from a friend's eggs, extremely flighty, I never got to touch any of them until they grew up and got rehomed/eaten. Year 2, I got her English Orpington eggs, but from a breeder who specializes in looks rather than personality, and again, the chicks were very skittish. Being Orpington helped though - they would come into my lap by week 3, but I could never touch them or approach them myself. I kept one, she's 1 year old now and I still can't touch her or pick her up, but she'll eat from my hand and stand next to me if I don't try to pet her. And this is year 3 for this broody, this time I gave her Buff Orpingtons. Unlike other years, I got chicks instead of eggs, and I didn't spend any time with them for the first 2-3 weeks, because they were meant to be dinner. Imagine my surprise when I sat down one day and both of them followed their mom into my lap, and let me pet them! I have started spending time with them now (decided to keep one after all), and they will come to me, snuggle with me, perch on my shoulder, nap in my arms, etc. They are 7 weeks old today. Buff Orpingtons are known far and wide for their friendliness, and I guess their fame is deserved!

Mine are mixed breed from a farm who has lots of chickens. Here is a picture.I am not sure of the breed but do hope they get friendly.