Broody hen

[ForFlocksSake]

Don’t wait too long, what happens is people want to wait til the chicks arev4-6 weeks old. They stick them into the flock and it is a disaster.

Right after hatching the broody protective hormones are high, she will defend her chicks, intimidate the layers, and the chicks fit into the flock effortlessly.

If you wait, till 4 weeks, the broody hormone is waning, and the hen will ditch her chicks trying to re-establish her own place in the flock.

Some hens will care for chicks for a long time, but most quit around week 4.

Sorry to hijack this thread but this response is interesting to me. We’ve chatted in my own thread about my broody. I have her separated with her 8 chicks (now about a week old) in the “maternity ward” of my run. The whole flock can see them all but can’t access. Mama and babies have their own small prefab coop to themselves. I can’t let the littles out into the main run area because they could easily escape. The maternity ward is specially fenced for littles. I was planning on letting her introduce them around 8 weeks, but you’re saying she’ll be done protecting them by then? I don’t have a problem letting her go off into the main area and leaving the babies until they are much larger (I usually don’t integrate until pullets are the same size as full grown girls). Will I be able to tell when mama hen is “over it?”

 

[Mrs. K]

If you separate the chicks from mama, let them grow up, then add them, it will work, but you are missing all the advantage of raising chicks with a broody hen.

I leave my broody in the flock. I do check under her every 2-3 days to gather stray eggs, but other than that I leave her alone. She gets off the nest - goes out and terrorizes the layers, looking like a beach ball, growling. They give her space. I do have a lot of space in my set up.

Mine always hatch in the nest, and then take the babies to the floor of the coop. She will create a nest there. The first day, I do put a chick water up and a bit of feed.

With in a day or two, she will take them out to meet the flock. They give her respect, and what you will notice is she will be between the flock and the chicks. The chicks explore, but stick close to mama. They get more fresh air, more exercise and are much stronger chicks that chicks that are kept safe in too small of area. The will crawl under her for a warm up or a nap, or even snuggle down on top of her.

If a layer gets irritated by a chick and gives a peck, the chick will scream bloody murder, and the broody hen will come over and clean clocks. The flock adjusts to the chicks, but the chicks adjust to the flock. They learn chicken society.

I try and get a board up on the roosts around 2-3 weeks, because the urge to roost comes on the broody hen around 3-4 weeks. Mine have alway gotten the chicks up on the roost, with the flock at about that time period. Right in next to the rooster and the layers.

Now at this time, there will be a difference in different broods. Some will 'wake up' and it will be like they totally forgot they ever had chicks. And a lot of people will try and introduce them to the flock then, and it is a wreck. I did have an old darling that raised a lot of chicks for me, and she did keep them next to her for a lot longer - but she was the rarity. Most quit by 4 weeks.

So I would let her out with the flock ASAP. I have heard horror stories, but that is when someone (with good intentions, separated the broody hen from the flock). Then the broody comes in as a stranger, and has to fight for her own space in the flock. But if the flock knows the broody, she will protect the chicks and they will stick to her pretty tightly.

Within a few days, mine will have her chicks out free ranging, climbing over sticks, going up hills, digging in the dirt - learning to be chickens.

When she 'forgets' the chicks, well they are already part of the flock. They are completely accepted.

When I brood chicks myself, without a broody, I still get them down to the coop/run by 3-4 weeks. I have escapes and a saftey zone, but they are much healthier than in a too small brooder.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was planning on letting her introduce them around 8 weeks, but you’re saying she’ll be done protecting them by then?

My take on this is a little bit different in the details but not that much overall. I also let my hens hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock from Day 1. But I think how much room you have is important. I have a large ground level coop and over 2,000 square feet in space outside. The broody has enough room to work. If you have one of those 4 sq ft coops (especially if elevated) and run space is limited you may not be able to do it the same way. You'll also have trouble integrating them later with that small amount of space but that is a different issue.

I've had broody hens wean their chicks as young as 3 weeks of age. I've had some wait until almost 3 months to wean them. Most of mine wean them around 5 weeks old but it can really vary. In all of these cases the chicks were able to make their own way with the flock.

Some of my broody hens take their chicks to the roosts before they wean them, some never do. The youngest I've seen a broody take her chicks to the roosts was 2 weeks old. Yes, they could fly up there at 2 weeks, using the top of the nests as an intermediate step. Of the ones that the broody take up there, some continued roosting on the main roosts at night when by themselves, typically in a back corner well away from the adults. Some stopped roosting on the main roosts and found another place to sleep. Typically one of the adult hens would go out of her way to chase them off of the roosts once the broody stopped protecting them.

Each brood is different. Even with pretty identical conditions I am never sure of what they will do. We all have different conditions and each chicken has its own personality. With chickens I do not expect consistency in behaviors or much else.

Even if I knew the details of your situation I do not know what will work best for you, or what would even work at all. My main suggestion is to pay attention and believe what you see. Many people manage this similar to what you propose. You'll probably have to handle integration yourself instead of leaving it to the broody hen but you can manage that if you have enough room.

Good luck!

 

[Mrs. K]

Ridgerunners point about space is a good one.

 

[ForFlocksSake]

My take on this is a little bit different in the details but not that much overall. I also let my hens hatch with the flock and raise the chicks with the flock from Day 1. But I think how much room you have is important. I have a large ground level coop and over 2,000 square feet in space outside. The broody has enough room to work. If you have one of those 4 sq ft coops (especially if elevated) and run space is limited you may not be able to do it the same way. You'll also have trouble integrating them later with that small amount of space but that is a different issue.

I've had broody hens wean their chicks as young as 3 weeks of age. I've had some wait until almost 3 months to wean them. Most of mine wean them around 5 weeks old but it can really vary. In all of these cases the chicks were able to make their own way with the flock.

Some of my broody hens take their chicks to the roosts before they wean them, some never do. The youngest I've seen a broody take her chicks to the roosts was 2 weeks old. Yes, they could fly up there at 2 weeks, using the top of the nests as an intermediate step. Of the ones that the broody take up there, some continued roosting on the main roosts at night when by themselves, typically in a back corner well away from the adults. Some stopped roosting on the main roosts and found another place to sleep. Typically one of the adult hens would go out of her way to chase them off of the roosts once the broody stopped protecting them.

Each brood is different. Even with pretty identical conditions I am never sure of what they will do. We all have different conditions and each chicken has its own personality. With chickens I do not expect consistency in behaviors or much else.

Even if I knew the details of your situation I do not know what will work best for you, or what would even work at all. My main suggestion is to pay attention and believe what you see. Many people manage this similar to what you propose. You'll probably have to handle integration yourself instead of leaving it to the broody hen but you can manage that if you have enough room.

Good luck!

Thank you!

I will probably move forward with what has worked in the past for me. ive had Previous groups of chicks grow to about 14/15 weeks in our Pullet area before letting them mingle. The pullet area (maternity ward, as im calling it now) is an 8x8 run with a small coop and is attached to the main run,so everyone is always visible at all times. The last time I did this it worked beautifully. No drama between established flock members and new ones. Took a few nights to get the new ones to use the main coop, and then eventually I just physically moved everyone at night and removed the smaller prefab coop.

What feels right for me at this point is to leave mama hen in the pullet run until she seems over it, then let her go back with the main flock and wait for the littles to fully grow. At no point in this entire process has she been out of sight from everyone, so I dont foresee any drama with her heading back with the grownups.

 

[Yardmom]

The OP asked about separating the broody from the flock. With her small flock I would recommend leaving the broody with the flock. As others have mentioned if the cockeral is being a pest removing him would be a good idea.

I actually move my broody hens. With 25 plus birds I find that stuff just seems to happen when a broody is in the regular nests. I use dog crates that stay in the coop. Broodies are let out twice a day to get their own food and water. I have found that it works better to move a broody in the day light, so she can see where the eggs are. I have moved more than a dozen different broodies (some birds have hatched multiple batches). I have had only one hen who will not graph to a nest in a crate.
Once it is time for the chicks to get off the nest I release them into the coop.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really everyone does it differently.

 

[ChookaPete]

If you separate the chicks from mama, let them grow up, then add them, it will work, but you are missing all the advantage of raising chicks with a broody hen.

I leave my broody in the flock. I do check under her every 2-3 days to gather stray eggs, but other than that I leave her alone. She gets off the nest - goes out and terrorizes the layers, looking like a beach ball, growling. They give her space. I do have a lot of space in my set up.

Mine always hatch in the nest, and then take the babies to the floor of the coop. She will create a nest there. The first day, I do put a chick water up and a bit of feed.

With in a day or two, she will take them out to meet the flock. They give her respect, and what you will notice is she will be between the flock and the chicks. The chicks explore, but stick close to mama. They get more fresh air, more exercise and are much stronger chicks that chicks that are kept safe in too small of area. The will crawl under her for a warm up or a nap, or even snuggle down on top of her.

If a layer gets irritated by a chick and gives a peck, the chick will scream bloody murder, and the broody hen will come over and clean clocks. The flock adjusts to the chicks, but the chicks adjust to the flock. They learn chicken society.

I try and get a board up on the roosts around 2-3 weeks, because the urge to roost comes on the broody hen around 3-4 weeks. Mine have alway gotten the chicks up on the roost, with the flock at about that time period. Right in next to the rooster and the layers.

Now at this time, there will be a difference in different broods. Some will 'wake up' and it will be like they totally forgot they ever had chicks. And a lot of people will try and introduce them to the flock then, and it is a wreck. I did have an old darling that raised a lot of chicks for me, and she did keep them next to her for a lot longer - but she was the rarity. Most quit by 4 weeks.

So I would let her out with the flock ASAP. I have heard horror stories, but that is when someone (with good intentions, separated the broody hen from the flock). Then the broody comes in as a stranger, and has to fight for her own space in the flock. But if the flock knows the broody, she will protect the chicks and they will stick to her pretty tightly.

Within a few days, mine will have her chicks out free ranging, climbing over sticks, going up hills, digging in the dirt - learning to be chickens.

When she 'forgets' the chicks, well they are already part of the flock. They are completely accepted.

When I brood chicks myself, without a broody, I still get them down to the coop/run by 3-4 weeks. I have escapes and a saftey zone, but they are much healthier than in a too small brooder.

Mrs K

Excellent advice!



I did keep my broody hen and her two chicks separated in a 'maternity ward' coop, actually a two-person tent. But this was mostly because the main coop sleeping area is lined with pallets, and I am yet to block the gaps with mesh to stop chicks escaping.

However after a week or so I started opening up the tent during the day so they could see the rest of the flock, and vice versa:

For the past week now I have been letting out Mama Clover and her babies to forage around the yard. And last night I shifted them to sleep in the coop with the rest of the flock - though they are still in the same box nest that they were sleeping inside back in the Nursery.
This morning I found them already out and about having a great time exploring the back yard. They even go to the front yard too.