Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

Dealing with a double nest destruction this week with the free rangers, my broody hen was beaten up and dragged off her nest, so I gave her remaining eggs to the other broody in the nest below hers, she was also treated the same. Who did this? The roosters? Other hens? We're in a cold snap so did the poor conditions trigger it?
My third broody in the coop+run complex has been unbothered so I gave the last surviving egg to her in hopes it survived.
I will need to build some broody maternity suites/integration pens soon if I want my hens to be able to raise the next generation themselves. I suppose my run birds could raise them but it feels mean to take them from the relaxed safety of a secure run to put them out in the real world.

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A moment to contemplate?.

As you say, the third broody in the coop+run complex has been unbothered. So put another hen who is a good broody in there if its very spacious. Just wait until she gets broody again and give het some eggs. Or keep no more than 1 nest at a time.

Imagine 3 broodies and 18 chicks (becoming pullets and cockerels) in there. You need a lot of coop and run space to keep it clean and peaceful.

Another option could be to watch the behaviour of the free rangers. Take the bullies out (good layers are easy to sell).

 

[SimpleJenn]

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A moment to contemplate?.

As you say, the third broody in the coop+run complex has been unbothered. So put another hen who is a good broody in there if its very spacious. Just wait until she gets broody again and give het some eggs. Or keep no more than 1 nest at a time.

Imagine 3 broodies and 18 chicks (becoming pullets and cockerels) in there. You need a lot of coop and run space to keep it clean and peaceful.

Another option could be to watch the behaviour of the free rangers. Take the bullies out (good layers are easy to sell).

Yes Navy (in the run) has 7 eggs now and she will be getting no more. Marshmallow(in the run) will not be getting eggs as it's her first time being broody. Poppy(free ranger) returned to the nest and gathered all of the wooden eggs under her, Delft(free ranger) is back ranging with the flock.
Since her rooster, Cowspots, is already trying to breed with her, could he have been the one to destroy the nest? Although one of my legbar hens has had it out for Delft since she went broody, so I figured it was her.
I will be building a dedicated brooding/integrating pen, as my little experiment of letting them brood freely in the flock has not worked out.
I will not move Navy out with the rangers, as she is one of Riddick (pen rooster) favorites and she has many close friends in that flock.