Where do you keep your broodys & babies? I need pics.

[4 Love of Baby Chickens]

Can anyone post pictures of where you keep your broodys and their babies together? I'm building a set of broody pens if and when any of my hens go broody so that I can seperate them from the other chickens.

 

[Omran]

Man I wish I could help you, I never had a broody yet, and I am crossing my fingers to have one of the hens sitting next sommer.

Omran

 

[chickn]

small pens one on top of the other between 2 large pens, one is for my trio of std cochins the other has laying hens in it. the large pens are the size of a std piece of plywood. so the smaller ones are half that size.

 

[Omran]

Chickn, that is very beautiful broody, I love it, thank you for posting the pictures, It will deffinetly help everybody.

Thanks

Omran

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
That is incredible, really pro building!

 

[chickn]

thanks.

 

[Portia]

Mine stay right in the coop with all the rest of the chickens and as soon as they & the broody are ready they head out to free range during the day with the flock (this is largely dependent on the weather). I've had 4 broods raised this way and currently have 2 broodies setting and 1 with 6 week old chicks. The chicks still sleep under mom, but have been testing out the roosts when all the other chickens head out to range.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I agree those are lovely pens, but you can use all sorts of things to confine broody hens with their chicks. While they're brooding they primarily need to be kept safe, dry, & secluded, with just a bit of space to scratch, dust bathe & poop, with food & water always available. Once the chicks are hatched they'll want more room to roam, to scratch up food for their babies & dust bathe.

I've had hens brood in rabbit cages, dog kennels, fenced-off corners of pens, and in special little arks/tractors. I just like to have them separated so they won't get confused while out on their breaks & return to a different nest, letting their own eggs go cold. And also so other hens won't intrude on the broody to lay their eggs in there.

 

[RioLindoAz]

When my silkie became broody, I let her out w/ the rest of the chickens.

I think that when a broody hen and her chicks are locked up in a tiny pen, the chicks are limited to learning anything.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share where my silkie was nesting in:

The inside of the box was very big. I'm sure it could have held 4broody hens.


Rio

 

[KellyHM]

I don't have a pic, but I just leave mine alone until the babies start hatching, then section off a 2x3 corner of my pen and let them stay in there. Once the babies are about a week old I start letting them all come out with mom while the other chickens are free ranging.