Progeny from heroic rooster

[NatJ]

Speaking of more hens - the store also periodically gets 8 week old pullets. Our youngest batch outside is aged 4-5 weeks. We're thinking of getting 4 or 6 started pullets, and placing them into the small coop with the other 14 at night. Is that a decent plan?

Yes, I think that has a good chance of working.

If they really don't get along, you could separate them again for a look-no-touch introduction period, but first I would try just putting them in the same pen (when that works, it's by far the easiest way to do things!)

 

[sakerobot]

The 8 week pullets were sold out all in one day before we could get any, but we might get another chance on that in 2 and 4 weeks.

Meanwhile, we just placed four JGs under Goldie, they all got quiet under her, and she kept sitting there and covering them with her wing. We did this in the dark and added a trailcam which hasn't detected any motions - which seems like a "no news = good news" situation.

Her 4x4 brooder is covered with a tarp to keep the light out. I'll open them after I'm done tending to the other animals, and watch to see how it goes with a coffee.

And the 14 medium chickens now look like this:

Maybe since they're not using the heater plate, perhaps Goldie can join them with her chicks in a few days? She might not intend to be nice to the medium chickens, but they should be able to avoid her as needed. This wouldn't be long term.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe since they're not using the heater plate, perhaps Goldie can join them with her chicks in a few days? She might not intend to be nice to the medium chickens, but they should be able to avoid her as needed. This wouldn't be long term.

That would depend a lot on how she acts.

I have seen hens that tried to keep all other chickens at least 10 feet away, in all directions. That obviously causes problems in most sizes of pens, but not if free ranging in a large area.

And hens can be pretty vicious when defending their chicks.

But some hens act differently than others, so Goldie might not act like the ones I'm remembering.

I would definitely give Goldie and the chicks a few days to get used to each other, then think about how she is acting, before trying it. If you do try to have them share space, I would watch to make sure no-one gets hurt, and be prepared to separate if needed. If they are able to share space, make sure they all have several places to eat and drink, so you don't have any chickens going hungry while trying to stay away from older ones in the same pen.

 

[sakerobot]

The morning went really well. After turning the light on, she looked around for a couple minutes and got up to drink, then began clucking and tending to the chicklets, encouraging them to go under her. I watched for a while and she just seems happy, no issues with any of them. It took her about 20 minutes to convince them to go under her again, and then it all got quiet. These pictures are from before they went under her.

Maybe we can try something like a large Tupperware with an entrance and adequate roofing that she can use while they grow up. Eventually I want to build something more elegant, but a plastic box will save time for now.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe we can try something like a large Tupperware with an entrance and adequate roofing that she can use while they grow up. Eventually I want to build something more elegant, but a plastic box will save time for now.

Do you mean as a sheltered place to sleep at night? Is there anything wrong with the space she is in now?

I'm not sure what size Tupperware you're thinking of. I have seen some hens that will take the chicks back to the same nest each night, but I have also seen hens that will just pick a new corner to sleep with the chicks. Not all of them demand a nest at all, after the chicks have hatched. So they do need some shelter at night, but not necessarily an actual nestbox.

 

[sakerobot]

Do you mean as a sheltered place to sleep at night? Is there anything wrong with the space she is in now?

I'm not sure what size Tupperware you're thinking of. I have seen some hens that will take the chicks back to the same nest each night, but I have also seen hens that will just pick a new corner to sleep with the chicks. Not all of them demand a nest at all, after the chicks have hatched. So they do need some shelter at night, but not necessarily an actual nestbox.

A sheltered place for the night once we put them outside, the current container is inside the basement. I was thinking something like 40-gallon storage containers with wheels, with cardboard and lots of straw bedding inside.

We're probably going to let her deal with these 4 without trying to introduce new chicks for now, it is her first time after all. Also, Jessica was occupying a nest box this morning, and if she persists we'll set her on some eggs and segregate her. Her efforts were so diligent last year that she was one of the reasons that inspired us to look for a rooster, she definitely deserves a try.

The new chicks are doing great, and she taught them how to eat already:

This is so much better than raising them manually.

 

[sakerobot]

The chicks are not too old, based on my experience having hens adopt chicks that were shipped.

It was thanks to this that Goldie is now happy and not going through a horrible breaking period. "Enabler" is right!

 

[NatJ]

A sheltered place for the night once we put them outside, the current container is inside the basement. I was thinking something like 40-gallon storage containers with wheels, with cardboard and lots of straw bedding inside.

Oh, that does make sense. I agree, inside the basement would not be a good place for them to stay for long

 

[sakerobot]

It's basically perfection. We plan to get them set up safely outside this weekend.


But Jessica isn't being broody for now.

 

[sakerobot]

Some outside time today.

We also had our Dark Brahma and a BR adjacent to Goldie's outdoor setup, and she seemed actually glad to see them, especially the Brahma. None of this is pictured.

To be a ball of fluff that lives in a giant warm ball of fluff...