The great broody experiment (new pics p 18)

[Quail_Antwerp]

Sorry, Free, I've no advice on the matter this time. My turkey has stopped laying, although I've seen them actively breeding.

I do have a broody call duck, though! She's on five eggs.

 

[freemotion]

Think I should put my chicken back in with the flock, or leave her with her chicks? I think she is sleeping on the high roost, and the babies are on the low roosts. At least that is what I saw at dusk in the moment before they spotted me and all came running!

 

[keljonma]

Another update: I noticed that mama hen is no longer calling her chicks to food, and they are often on opposite sides of the pen....then today I found an egg in the nest box! I have felt for about 3 days now that she wanted me to let her back in with the flock, but ignored her signals. Well, can't ignore an egg! So I think I will put her back in with the flock, but thought I would check with the experience ones here first. I will be leaving the chicks in the pen, since it is the only covered pen I have and we have redtail hawks here.

Can't help with poults, free, as I have never raised any.

Sounds like mama is ready to go back to the flock. What is your plan for integrating the chicks with the flock? Normally, we let the mama and chicks out with the flock a few weeks before mama leaves them, as she offers them some protection from bullies. If you wait and integrate them later, I would treat them like any new flock addition and introduce them gradually.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

If she's laying again, most likely she's not caring for the chicks anymore anyway. I'd put her back with the flock.

 

[freemotion]

Thanks, and my, you're quick on that keyboard!!!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I usually put the chicks and the momma in with the flock. The momma hen tends to protect the babies and sometimes some other chickens do also.
This year I got some cornish crosses late, since my BO went broody. I have her sort of seperated. She is in the henhouse with the flock, but in the mornigns the older group goes into the yard and we shut the trap door and open the hen house door so Mandy and her little ones can get out. She keeps them under cover, protecting them from the hawk.
We will be letting the flock out in the evening soon and they'll be able to co-mingle. But they already do in a way in the hen house in the mornings.
Our hen yard has a covered section and a tree and a canopy. We need it for shade and because of the hawks.
Has your hen been within sight of the flock. I would put her in in the evening and watch. And if everything is ok, I would check again in the early morning, so see how she is received back into the flock. I found my rooster loves jumping on the one newly returned to the flock. men!!! they are all the same

 

[freemotion]

Yes, she has been in sight of the flock all this time, but not in an adjoining pen....there is a space about 10 feet between the two fences.

I think if I was going to put her and the babies in with the flock, I should've done it sooner, as she has very little interest in them now. I am not too concerned with flock acceptance, I just put the newbie on a lower roost between two hens in the pitch dark, and I leave the pop door open overnight so they can escape if needed. I have not seen any signs of a predator in the 7.5 years I've been here except the redtails and coyotes (outside our fence). We have big dogs in the yards on each side of us....there are lots of big dogs in the neighborhood. I suspect between the dogs and suburban coyotes, not too many small nocturnal animals survive. I only close it when the weather gets cold.

I have been keeping the chicks in the covered pen until about 3 months old, when they are much, much bigger that a pigeon, almost full grown. The hawks have shown no interest in my adult hens.

My only rooster right now (although I'm sure there must be some in the group of six babies) is a cockerel that is about 3.5 months old that was added to my flock a couple of weeks ago in a group of 6 pullets....we thought he was a cockerel, but now we are sure. He is too timid still to show attentions to the ladies, and we haven't heard a cock-a-doodle-doo from him yet, although he is cocky with me and has already felt Mya's horns a few times!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I think if it were me, I'd put them all in at once in the late afternoon and watch what happens. It is so much easier to deal with them, when it works that is. Have a positive attitude about it going in.
You can still seperate them, if it doesn't work out. But think how nice it'll be, if you can have them all in one place. I just keep a close eye on mine, when I do that.
And check on them in the early morning, if everything went well the night before. Sometimes one of them will get a bean up her butt and bully a youngster the next day. A little bullying is ok, but when the little one can't get a break, it is time to take them out.

That is kind of what I plan on doing with mine. But I'll be letting the older ones out into the field for about 1/2 hour befor bedtime. I find that they don't mess with the newbies as much in the big field. After a few days of this I hope to put the little cornish in with the flock in the henyard. I might have to carry them though, they are so heavy, I don't think they can climb the ladder.

 

[freemotion]

I ended up putting mama back with the flock, she is doing great, and leaving babies in the covered pen. The redtails were hunting in my pasture today, and the guineas are just vicious to everyone and anyone, so I will let the babies grow up a bit. Also, I still have the pecked one in a cage in the coop with the other chickies, so I hope to integrate it back in with it's siblings as soon as the scab falls off and the target isn't so neon.

I was able to peak at them at dusk, very quietly, and they were all (except caged one, of course) on the higher perch (about three feet up), snuggled together. So cute!

I frequently consider getting rid of the evil guineas, then today dh saw them kill and eat three borer bees!!! They have a technique to knock them down out of the air and then catch and eat them while they are still stunned. My yard and gardens are pretty much bug-free. They will stay.....for now!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

So I have an off season broody Blue Laced Red Wyandotte, named Edna (at least I think it's Edna, could be Gertrude, they look a lot alike!)

I just moved her, successfully I hope, to a temporary broody box. I waited until it was dark, kept her eyes covered during the move, and settled her down on her eggs in the straw. She didn't even ruffle a feather, and seemed happily settled on her eggs. She has two windows in her broody box (will get pics tomorrow) but I tarped the back of the box to protect it from the weather, so only one window is open to the air. She has food and water, and only 3 eggs that I think are duds.

I don't want to waste a good broody hen, so I have Welsummer and BLRW wyandotte eggs coming next week to put under her. Once they are here, I'll remove the three eggs she has now (and candle them). If her three eggs she has are developing, I'll just move them to my 'bator. I really want more BLRW that are darker, as I only have one Blue hen the rest are splash...and I only have a pair of Welsummers and really want about 6-8 of them...so hoping that out of the eggs I have coming, we have a good hatch.

Not all of the eggs coming will go under Edna. Some will go in my 'bator. I plan to give her 6 Welsummer (out of 18) and 6 BLRW and see how it comes out. I hope she can handled 12 eggs ok!

eta: Right now I'm planning to take the chicks once they hatch and brood them in the house, unless we have the coop addition done. If the coop addition is done by the time she hatches, I'll move her and the chicks into one of the two rooms we're adding on by themselves and let her raise them indoors.