I have 9 baby chickens that were hatched on Auguest 8th so they are almost 3 weeks old. I have them in a small coop with their mama. This coop is inside the common coop where the other hens sleep at night and lay their eggs. I'm sure the other hens know the babies are there since they peep all the time. Mama is very protective of the babies when we reach in to change the water or put food in. One baby rides on her back all the time. I thought that strange. Anyway, they are getting big and I'm wondering when I should let them out to be with the other hens and how I go about doing that safely.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Question about my baby chicks
In my experience it depends on three things:
How much room there is for the mother to get the babies away....I have never had problems with other chickens when the mother is free ranging.
The "personality" of the flock. Some flocks are very stable...I have even had the top hen come over and interrupt a lower level pullet who was causing trouble. But sometimes there is one member of the flock that is more aggressive and can urge the others to be aggressive too.
How protective the mother is....I have Nankins, very tiny bantams that are so fiercely broody that nothing will mess with them or their chicks. But I had a very large, sweet Welsummer who hatched out 6 Silkie chicks and lost all of them to California Jays which were also raising babies (they only seem to prey on chicks in the spring, the rest of the year they aren't a problem). I guess it might also depend on how many chicks the broody has and if she can keep track of all of them?
I would try it while you can watch...maybe start out with short periods until you are sure how everyone is behaving?
At what age? They're almost 3 weeks old.
My other 11 hens are pretty nice. No fighting. They have the run of my 28 acre farm but actually only free range around three acres of it. There is an enclosed outdoor pen outside the barn I lock up at night so predators won't get them. I do have two barn cats that I worry about. I want to make sure the babies are bigger than they are. My cats are afraid of the chickens. THe chickens chase them off. Don't hurt them but let them know they rule the roost around that barn. :) I could lock them all up and watch them I guess.
Mama is very very protective of them.
I have had free range broodies that brought their chicks out as soon as they hatched and they had no problem with the other hens. I think they may actually be less likely to attack them when they first see them as tiny chicks with their mother...they don't seem like competition then.
If the rest of the flock is free-ranging most of the time, I think that makes them less likely to bother the chicks, especially if Mamma is protecting them.
But I would watch at first, in case you have a troublemaker.
This message was edited Aug 25, 2010 10:34 PM
I had a black sexlink raise four buff orpington chicks this summer and believe me no other hen got near them she would tear the feathers right out of them if they did,I let my silkie babies out with the others when they are two weeks old
Today my husband locked the door to the outside pen just outside the barn. He opened the door to the little coop the mama and 9 babies are in. He sort of shooed them all out. Mama just stood in the corner of the inside pen while he cleaned out all the pine shavings. She would not venture out of the barn or move from that corner. After my husband had the coop all nice and clean with clean water and food and even some treats she still would not move. He had to throw a box over her and pick up the babies who scattered in all directions and put them in the coop. Once the babies were all back in he lifted up the box over mama and she walked up inside the coop then he closed the door on her. She is very protective and will try to peck you if you get near her or those babies. I don't know what we're going to do to get them outside with the other hens.
I have 3 tiny baby Seramas with a Foster mom that is normally a good mom. With this batch, she has been less attentive and walks on the babiez a lot. Today I let her out of the small brooder and put her babiez out on the ground.. and Wow.. That was the trick! She was miserable in that little brooder! One roo came running over and she set him straight real quick... Mom and babiez spent the rest of the day scratching and checkin out their new home. I just went out cause it's getting dark, one baby was lost and screamin it's lil head off.. but when it found mom it snuggled up and all is well.
I think if it's gradual, maby you won't have so much trouble. I wish I would have realized what mine was trying to "tell" me for days..
If you leave the door open during the day she will take them outside when she feels she and the babies are ready at least thats how it works with my silkie moms and babies.Just make sure she takes them in at dusk and then put the door down so they will be safe.
Yesterday when my husband opened the door to change the water and food mama jumped out real quick. She walked around inside the coop that is inside the barn. She never did go outside into the run. After he was done changing out the water and food she flew up and sat on top of the coop. Because the coop is set up off the ground with cement cinder blocks we were afraid the babies would fall out and get hurt. To get mama back inside he opened the door and she flew back inside where she still is. I guess I could try to leave the end door open with the gang plank on and see if she wants to take them out but it's inside the barn and I can't stand there to babysit them and I'm afraid someone will get hurt. They're three weeks old so I may wait a couple more weeks then open the door and let her handle taking care of them and introducing them to the rest of the flock. I want to make sure they're big enough the barn cats won't get them. Mama is really aggressive and won't let anyone near her babies. I just worry she won't be able to keep up with 9 of them. :)
Today mama flew down out of the coop and called to her kids and they followed so they're all out of the little coop.They didn't leave the barn though and hung out in the common coop all day. We put water and baby food down on the floor and everyone seemed happy to have more room to run around. The other hens would come in and lay their eggs and there was no fighting or fussing. The other hens seem to like the babies fine. I'm posting a picture of them. They are three weeks old today.
What breed are they? Very cute babies
Mama is a golden comet. I have no idea what the babies are. She went broody and we just borrowed some fertilized eggs from the neighbor to make her happy. Hubby went out to check on everyone last night and everyone was sleeping. All the other hens were on their perches sleeping and mama was curled up in the corner with the babies. No fighting at all and the older hens are very accepting of the babies. Mama is keeping them in the barn and hasn't ventured out into the screened in pen. The older hens are out free ranging. Mama watches the babies very good and is very protective of them. I am so relieved that this has all worked out. I sure wish I could tell how many of these 9 chickens are roosters.
And they say golden comets very seldom goes broody!
Really? I didn't know they said that. :) This one sure did. We had a light brahma named Whitey go broody at the same time and we put some borrowed fertilized eggs under her but all her eggs got smashed somehow and the babies in the eggs eaten ??? Gross eh? I have read that if you have two broody hens too close together one will break the other's eggs but we weren't there to see so I'm not blaming anyone. After a month we finally forced Whitey off the next. She cried and cried then went out to join the other hens free ranging. She has taken a real interest in these babies though but won't get too close. She likes them a lot though I can tell. I hope she gets to mother then a bit since she wanted to be a mama so bad. Maybe when they go out to free range when they're bigger.
Golden comets are a sex link and they are breed for egg production and the broodyness is supose suppose to breed out of them,just like the black sex links they are not suppose to go broody either but two of mine did this year.I have golden comets,thats what I started out with and the black sex links,I am in the process of switching over to all buff orpingtons as the sexlinks goes,I also have silkies and two faverolle hens and a couple of EE`S.
This is the black sexlink that went broody and I got baby BO`S to put under her and she accepted them and raised them.
Oh they are so cute. That black hen is beautiful. I don't really know my breeds very well. I'm learning on this board though. Thanks for the picture. Don't you love it when the babies get on mama's back? I think it' s so cute.
Today mama bird led all 9 of her babies out of the coop in the barn to the enclosed exercise pen. At one point she ventured just outside the pen. I was mowing and when I looked over she had half the babies outside with her and three or four of them were inside with the fence between them. She was pacing back and forth like she didn't know what to do. Finally I got my husband to help all of the babies to go back in the pen and they stayed there.
The babies are starting to go up to the other hens but the other hens shoo them away. They don't peck at them or try to hurt them. They just seem to know they belong with their mama and not them. So far no fussing and everyone is getting along good. I'm so glad.
Today mama taught the babies how to take a bath. They were all fluffing around in the dirt. It was so cute. They do whatever mama teaches them to do.
LOL Wrong picture. :) Try this one.
Love the pic with the babies on her back!