Broodies on the Homestead

Does make sense. I have nowhere else to put her so she'll have to get over herself!
 
I keep some dog kennels and small "cages", if you will, that fit right in front of the kennel (pvc & wire). Then I can put hen & chicks in them, they can wander in controlled area for first week or so, then are allowed more area.

My hen with 6 10 day old chicks attacked me as I was trying to help a chick for her!! Leave them alone & they figure it out. Yep, another hen isn't allowed near for about 2 weeks it seems. Then they have chicks trained to follow as they call, loosen their intense mingling control and begin to help them navigate the rules of a flock. I've been watching closely to develop a more helpful understanding of "mom raising the chicks" and the timelines for their lives.

My group of 2.5-3 month olds are on their own (since about a month ago). They still have the same routine for where they wander to forage, interration with flock is good and they are accepted well, all seem to know their boundaries with who is where in the pecking order (no pun intended) & are allowed in the big coop without issue. They still do not roost there but, will be transitioned in about a month.

It's quite fascinating to learn their body & vocal language for day to day activities. Some hens are really (!!!) fierce moms. Today I should have hatch on 5 eggs left. :)
 
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My Dominique hen is a fantastic mother, and doesn't go looking for fights. My other mama wants to fight everyone who dares breathe near her baby!
 
My two broodies fights all the other hens but when you see them pecking their babies you understand. One hen grabbed a little chick by the neck and was running off with it. I 'took the boot' to her to drop it which she did and then her and Mama broodie started to spar. The other hens will fight them but the two roosters run out of the line of fire.

I use to have a big flock of game chickens. Not for fighting but because they were the only birds that would survive where I lived. People would ask me if my rooster would fight but really the top rooster kept the other two running and when the girls would fight the only way to get them to stop fighting was the top rooster. He kept all my biddies in line.
 
5 chicks in the bator. 2 in there zipping. At least a dozen pipped.

1 chick under the hens. Saw 2 pips. Found the egg I thought was dead and checked again. Definitely dead, had that weird look that they get. Tossed it.

I like using the bator in addition to broodies. They can take care of many more chicks than they can eggs. This also allowed me to separate out the eggs from one rooster to mark since they will all carry white even if they are partridge.

I had a white pop in the bator though. Makes me scream. So the egg was marked with the pen. I know which partrige rooster is carrying the white now.
 
I can see the benefits of broodies & incubator when they are time coordinated. Good idea. Also, the segregation of certain lines being isolated, then hen raised. Do you band the chicks to identify?

My hen hatched her 5 eggs late day , so tonight I will add this 5 day old single and watch. HOPING it will work & she will be a mom to 6. :)

I want to pen several hens with a roo for some of the reasons you have -- to define certain features. This is not as "in depth" as yours because they are hybrids but, I am looking to increase the egg color with my blue egg layers. So I want my pure lavender Ameraucana to cover about 10 blue layer hens. It will be a Spring hatch program as I have to "clean" the hens of other sperm, intro the roo, etc.

Ideally, broody hens will be used to slip these eggs under. And don't expect that in another month....maybe, but doubtful. 2 hens are brooding now but, the eggs I want to develop are not. :idunno It would sure be nice if any wanted to set late summer, wouldn't it? -- pushing my luck. Never know. That would give me pullets laying Spring...a chance to view the experiment sooner than expected. :cool:


Today, I'm just thankful for the 5 eggs hatche & saved from Mr dead snake!! Life is good.
 
I will band them with zip ties in about a week. I don't like to do it to newly hatched. I paid careful attention to the bator for the one egg from the young cockerel that was fertile. It hatched fairly early. It got it's right foot sprayed with Blukote to stain the feathers.

It's a wound spray that stains everything violet. Takes days to wear off my hands. Works very well to prevent chicken pecking on wounds so I always have some.
 
Bluekote is awesome stuff. Takes a VERY long time to wear off white orpingtons, and white goats!
 
Two of our little fuzzy butts are dead and one missing. We are down to two now. What a big disappointment!
 
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