many broody hen questions

[questions543]

So I have a first time broody and I have many questions.

1. Can the mama hen eat medicated chick food? (cocci was a problem last time we got chicks) So can she eat ampro?

2.So I have 2 coops one small and one big. We have all the chickens in the big coop. When the chicks hatch should I move them all and the mum into the small nicer clean chicken coop (to be safe)? If I do will I be able to put the mama and half the chicks back into the big coop later?

3. Will the other chickens attack the chicks? Im worried because the mum is a bantam and most of the rest are standards and I'm not sure if she can protect all the chicks from the big birds. The hens also don't have a very good track record

4. I have 2 bantams (one is the broody) the one thats not is very lonely and is getting picked on more. when they all hatch can I move them all with the extra bantam?

5. My last question is mostly curious but how big are bantam chicks?

Thanks in advance for any responces!

SoOooo exited!

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. Can the mama hen eat medicated chick food? (cocci was a problem last time we got chicks) So can she eat ampro?

It will absolutely do no harm for the hen to eat medicated chick feed.

2.So I have 2 coops one small and one big. We have all the chickens in the big coop. When the chicks hatch should I move them all and the mum into the small nicer clean chicken coop (to be safe)? If I do will I be able to put the mama and half the chicks back into the big coop later?

I don’t understand Mama and half the chicks? That’s confusing to me. What happens to the other half of the chicks?

There is no right or wrong answer to this. Hens have been raising chicks with the flock for thousands of years. Usually it works out but sometimes there are disasters. To me there are two different things that affect that. One is how much space Mama has to work with. The tighter the space the harder it is for Mama to do her job.

The other thing is the personality of the chickens involved, both the broody and the other hens. Most broodies have such a bad attitude toward any other chicken threatening her babies that the other chicken doesn’t stand a chance, regardless of size. But occasionally you get a broody that just isn’t as good as she should be. Most adult chickens will not go out of their way to attack baby chicks, but most will peck or attack a chick that invades their personal space. Occasionally you will get one, practically always a hen, that is just a brute and will go out of her way to attack chicks. Usually mama takes care of this but not always. They are living animals. I can’t give you any guarantees.

If you separate them, you’ll have to integrate them later. How hard will that be? I don’t have a clue. Again that depends on your space and the personality of your chickens. Many of us integrate all the time and don’t have problems. Sometimes chickens die due to integration.

3. Will the other chickens attack the chicks? Im worried because the mum is a bantam and most of the rest are standards and I'm not sure if she can protect all the chicks from the big birds. The hens also don't have a very good track record

I don’t know what that track record actually is or what caused it, personality, space, or was Mama just not able to get to her chick to protect it? That’s something that happens too often on this forum. Someone separates the hen and chicks but the chicks can get through the fence to where the older chickens are and Mama can’t get there to protect her baby. That’s a recipe for disaster. But if you have a history of problems, I’d be real concerned.


4. I have 2 bantams (one is the broody) the one thats not is very lonely and is getting picked on more. when they all hatch can I move them all with the extra bantam?

You can try but I can’t give you any guarantees about what will happen. The other hen may help Mama with the chicks, but that’s fairly doubtful. The other hen may hang with Mama and the chicks, not helping but not harming. Mama may kick her butt if she gets close to the chicks so she is hanging by herself anyway. Or especially if space is tight, she may go after the chicks.

5. My last question is mostly curious but how big are bantam chicks?

Different sizes. Those Sebrights are teeny tiny. Some others are not a whole lot smaller than leghorns. And they can be anywhere in between.

 

[questions543]

Thanks for the amazing answers! I said half the chicks when their older because I am giving half to my friends (sorry for not being clear)

Thanks again for the answers