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Author Topic: Removing a broody hen from her chicks  (Read 1573 times)

Eeyore77

  • Joined Jan 2015
  • Aberdeenshire
Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« on: July 24, 2020, 11:32:21 am »
Hello,
could you give me a bit of advice please?
We got a broody hen to hatch successfully this year and her chicks are now 8 weeks old and almost as big as she is. She has now started laying again and is not showing much interest in the chicks.
They have been outside under shelter continuously with no more heat than from their mothers brooding, but most can’t get underneath her now if she does brood them.
When would you suggest taking her away from them?
We are in Aberdeenshire and it’s typical summer weather here (sun/wind/rain/sun/hail/sun/gales/sun and all before 9am  :D) so they should be fairly hardy.
Many thanks.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #1 on: July 24, 2020, 12:00:02 pm »
I think it will happen gradually by itself.  No need to intervene.  The hen will go off and do her own thing, as will the young ones, once they are confident.
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Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #2 on: July 24, 2020, 01:17:39 pm »
I’d just leave them to it.

bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #3 on: July 24, 2020, 01:59:45 pm »
The only time I separate is if the hen has had enough and the chicks are to small to be in an uncovered run. Just leave them to it

macgro7

  • Joined Feb 2016
  • Leicester
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2020, 02:32:32 pm »
You can just put them in separate runs (where they can't see each other) for 3-4 days and they will forget about each others existence.
If you want her to start laying and perhaps go broody again. Otherwise just leave them together.
Growing loads of fruits and vegetables! Raising dairy goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits on 1/2 acre in the middle of the city of Leicester, using permaculture methods.

Eeyore77

  • Joined Jan 2015
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #5 on: July 24, 2020, 03:03:25 pm »
Thank you all,
they are in a pen so she’s not got the luxury of wandering off on her own and she has started laying again now. I’d say she is definitely in the category of being fed up with them.
I’ll pop her into another pen over the weekend and that’ll be it for this years hatching.
Thanks again.

Eeyore77

  • Joined Jan 2015
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Removing a broody hen from her chicks
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2020, 04:43:22 pm »
Hi just to say you were right about her being fed up and the chicks not paying any heed to her leaving. I opened up the pen to move them and the broody ran off straight off like greased lightening from the chicks to the big pen where most of the rest of the hens are and danced around the door till I let her in. Not a backwards glance  :D. Chicks all fine and you’d never know they’d had a mum!

 

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