Buffalo Girl & other chicken owners...

[ChelC]

I've got a broody hen (one of my cochins), and she's been at it for about three days. She has a clutch of three or four eggs and we're going to let her hatch them if she'll stick with it. Do we need to isolate her? If so, should we do it now or wait for a hatch? She's in one of the top nests so it would be a two foot fall for a new chick and I'm sure the other chickens would kill one if it fell.

Have any of you gone through hatches before? How did it go?

We were just getting ready to start building an incubator for a school project, so this will be fun - and great timing - if she's successful they'll hatch right about the time we finish the incubator, or maybe just before.

[buffalo_girl]

Are you sure her eggs are fertile?

At any rate, I wouldn't move her right now! It's three weeks for the eggs to hatch so they are probably close. You can often hear the chicks 'peeping' before the eggs start to crack open.

Not every egg will hatch at the same time. It may take a few days to hatch every one of them. DO NOT attempt to hurry the process by peeling the egg shells! The chicks need to undergo this process in order to be strong enough to survive outside the egg.

Give the hen a little cup of water (the cup needs to have as little water as possible lest the chicks fall in and drown.) and some grain in her nest so she can stay on task in the box. If a chick is hatched before the others, it has a 24 hour energy reserve. A tiny container - like a bottle lid - of water can be offered to the chick if things get desperate. They will start eating finely ground grain in the box with their mom.

Once you get all the eggs hatched you can move the chicks onto the floor. The hen will not take them back up there if you have a safe place for her to take the chicks at night. A cardboard box turned on its side with the opening away from traffic sometimes suits their needs. Every hen is different.

Let her teach them about eating. Sometimes they do need help with water. I've had to put their beaks into the dish before they understand what to do. I wouldn't allow your hen to roam too much with the chicks and I would definetly keep her little brood away from other chickens. I've seen jealous hens especially attack another hen's chicks. They can and will kill them. Roosters often assume their responsibilities and help the hen forage for food. That's a good thing if your chickens have a wider range to forage. Responsible roosters keep an eye out for hawks and will sound the alarm when the hen and chicks are too busy.

[buffalo_girl]

As I reread your post, I see your Cochin has been at it for 3 days rather than 3 weeks.

Still, a hen hatched chick is a smarter chicken. Broody hens - called 'Clucks' in this part of the world - seem to go into a kind of trance for the three week incubation period. They will break to eat at most once a day. If the temperatures are severe, her eggs will cool off quickly and possibly stop developing so its important she doesn't have to go a distance for food and water. She will puff up her feathers and act fierce while on her eating break. She is putting the roosters on notice that she is not looking for romance. They respect that.

Two feet isn't that high up. I've had hens hatch chicks 15 feet up over the barn door rafters and had to rescue them.

[Blip]

I will bite the head off a chicken and eat it RAWWW.

[ChelC]

Thanks BG. I've marked my calendar and I hope she sticks with it. I think as she gets closer I will make a temporary space in the coop around that particular nest opening that will keep the other chickens out. I can access her nest from the outside, so I can keep her with food and water that way. I'll probably just put some extra thick shavings under the nest in case they fall. I imagine she'll settle into the lower nest with them when they hatch. The eggs should definitely be fertile... our rooster is quite busy and our eggs always have that bullseye that you're supposed to look for. Crossing my fingers. I'll post some pictures if she's successful.

[Blip]

If that does not work then bite her freaking head off. It will be an example to the others and you should explain to them that you expect better behavior and ..........productivity. Or the same could happen to them.

[M249Gunner]

I will bite the head off a chicken and eat it RAWWW.

You'll get feathers stuck in your teeth! And salmonella in your gut! I hope you have your years supply of toilet paper and dental floss.

[buffalo_girl]

I sure don't want either of you two anywhere near my farm.

Anyone so shortsighted as to even joke about killing 'seed stock' has not a clue as to real survival.

[reidbump]

I will bite the head off a chicken and eat it RAWWW.

This gave me a good laugh. Hi-larious.

[reidbump]

On a serious note, if I live in the city, do you have any recommendations for raising a few chickens? My wife and I thought it would be a good way to teach our kids responsibility. Our lot is only about 12,000 square feet and we live in the Bay Area, but I don't care about the commie zoning laws so don't worry about whether I'll get in trouble with the city for having a few birds...

Is it doable on such a small piece of land?

[buffalo_girl]

Sure. They do best when they can forage in the grass. They love to eat insects, worms, grubs, etc. they scratch out of the dirt.

A little penned area with a nesting box which can be moved every day or so gives them a chance to do that. I saw one in the Murray McMurray catalog that looks just like a garbage can for city folk who don't want their hysterical neighbors to call CDC because you have a backyard flock.

I think five or six laying hens should be plenty. Barred Rock hens are great laying hens and good 'clucks'.

[Blip]

I will bite the head off a chicken and eat it RAWWW.

You'll get feathers stuck in your teeth! And salmonella in your gut! I hope you have your years supply of toilet paper and dental floss.

Shucks Gunner, you ruined the effect.

[ChelC]

Chickens are easier to keep than a dog. Just get rid of any roosters before your neighbors complain. By the way, Blip, if you tried to bite my cochins head off our rooster would have you balled up and crying like a baby in no time. He's developed some nice spurs and he's protective of his girls. Plus, they bleed a lot. Would make a mess of you.

[Blip]

I guess threatening to shoot me with your .380 and your 40 is not enough. Aside from all the verbal assualt you now are going to get your rooster after me.

When does it all end sister?..............When?

[Wormwood]

My rooster likes to fight every day. He does sound the alarm when cats and people come in the yard.

Blip you can come bite off the heads of my chickens when i need to thin the flock.

But I reserve the right to take pictures.

[Blip]

I consolidated your post so that everyone can understand what you are trying to say. I know how hard the language barrier can be, you being from Washington and all.

My rooster likes to fight every people in the yard.

Blip I reserve the right to bite off the heads of my chickens when i need to thin the flock.

Sir, I do not want to bite the heads off your chickens. Please calm down. Do not be angry. I will get my own chickens when I feel the urge.

Do not be alarmed everyone I am not after your chickens!

[M249Gunner]

I sure don't want either of you two anywhere near my farm.

Anyone so shortsighted as to even joke about killing 'seed stock' has not a clue as to real survival.

Come now, I was trying to dissuade him from killing your "seed stock." I think you need some chocolate.

[Blip]

Come now, I was trying to dissuade him from killing your "seed stock." I think you need some chocolate.

Well you turned coat fast? I feel like I just got stabbed in the back.

[Blip]

You women need to be making vittles for your husbands instead of yapping on here about chickens anyway. Go fix em some vittles.

[bobhenstra]

Three days? If she is an older chicken put a few more freshly laid eggs under her, a good hen can handle ten twelve, a small hen six or eight eggs. If she is a younger hen let her be, she has to learn to be a momma. Your gonna be full of anticipation, fun times!

Bob

[reidbump]

Sure. They do best when they can forage in the grass. They love to eat insects, worms, grubs, etc. they scratch out of the dirt.

A little penned area with a nesting box which can be moved every day or so gives them a chance to do that. I saw one in the Murray McMurray catalog that looks just like a garbage can for city folk who don't want their hysterical neighbors to call CDC because you have a backyard flock.

I think five or six laying hens should be plenty. Barred Rock hens are great laying hens and good 'clucks'.

Forgive my ignorance but I have a few questions:

Why does the nesting box have to be moved everyday?

Our fence is only about 5 feet high. I'm sure the hens can fly-jump over them. Will I need to clip their feathers?

How often do hens lay eggs? I'm hoping a lot just to keep my boys busy working.

Thanks.

[ChelC]

Forgive my ignorance but I have a few questions:

Why does the nesting box have to be moved everyday?

Buffalo girl is probably referring to something like a tractor, which will give the hens fresh grass as you move it around the yard. There are different options if you don't want to do that. Our are in a larger, fixed run.

Here's a cool site where you can learn everything about chickens. http://www.backyardchickens.com/raising ... basics.php

Here are some tractors:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken ... actor.html

And some fixed, small coops:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/chicken-coop-small.html

If you have a tractor you won't need to clean the run, because they'll have fresh ground each time you move it. If you have a fixed location, you'll have to clean the manure out occasionally and will probably want to entertain them with some vegetable scraps and things they can peck at.

Our fence is only about 5 feet high. I'm sure the hens can fly-jump over them. Will I need to clip their feathers?

It depends. Are you going to free range them? How friendly are your neighbors? My chickens occasionally free range, and sometimes will go under the fence, but they've never flown over it (they are not clipped). They could easily if they wanted to, it's only four feet, but they never do. If you have a tractor they will be entirely enclosed, though you will periodically move them to fresh grass.

How often do hens lay eggs? I'm hoping a lot just to keep my boys busy working.

Again, it depends. Our good layers lay about one egg a day, but they slow down some in the winter. This winter we've been getting anywhere from 6-13 eggs a day from our 13 hens - last fall it was rarely less than ten a day. It also depends on breed.

In a small back yard, I'd recommend getting 4 or 5 hens and a small tractor style coop with access to the nest boxes from the outside. You boys can be in charge of moving the tractor, changing the shavings in the nest boxes, food and water and of course collecting the eggs.

It sounds more complicated than it is. I'd say our flock of 14 is less work than one dog, and they make me breakfast.

[reidbump]

Excellent ChelC! Thanks for the info.

[joseph]

Even a few chickens can provide enough eggs for a small family. I do not clip wings because if they do encounter a predator it puts them at a great disadvantage. Use netting or a good dog.

[tick]

Yea, I let my chickens free range most of the time, six hens has been giving me an average of about 4 eggs a day. They never fly over my fences, but yea they slip under them sometimes. The nice thing though, they never travel too far from their home if they do get out.