[loopy]

Hi all

In April we let a broody hen sit on 4 Light Sussex eggs, it was her and our first time at hatching and so we didn't want to put too many under her.  Upshot was she broke an egg which spilt over 2 of the other eggs.  These two stopped developing so we were left with one clean egg which hatched 24/4/10.  The chick has grown rapidly and is pretty much feathered up, but still with it's adoptive mum in a separate house to the rest of our flock.  However i think it's natural mom is just starting to go broody.  She is a very gentle Light Sussex, who has never shown any aggression to us or any other chicken, never seen her as much as peck one of the others. 

We are pretty sure that the chick is not big enough to fend for itself with our other hens, and we would prefer to keep it separate anyhow as it is on growers pellets and all the others are on layers pellets.  So we have lots of chickens and a cockeral in our main chicken house/run, and we currently have adoptive mommy and chick in a separate house/run which we used as a broody house. 

We were wondering whether there would be any problems if we move the adoptive mommy back into the main house/run, leave the chick in the broody house, but also put the natural mom sat on eggs in with the chick in the broody house.  Would she be ok with the chick?  and would the chick be ok when the new eggs hatch?  (we haven't got any eggs yet as this time i want to try hubbards so need to buy them in).

I guess the hubbard chicks would soon reach the same size as the Light Sussex chick and then outgrow it - so would the intervening weeks cause any issue?  Just don't like the idea of the chick being on its own in the broody house - wish we'd put more eggs under the first broody now!

Any suggestions appreciated!

[Fleecewife]

The broody would be no company for the chick while she's sitting and would probably see it off once the new chicks hatch - natural mother or not she will not recognise it as hers, as the last time she saw it it was an egg  .  I would leave chick with brood mother and leave broody and her eggs alone. They could possibly all be in the same house but if you can manage it, separate houses would be best.
We have a problem with ours which is a bit similar.  We have 3 hen houses, two with a cockerel and his chosen ladies  in (all free range so just in at night) and one which is currently used by two hens with 2 chicks.  Those two were brooding in neighbouring boxes but when the first chicks hatched the second hen joined in looking after them, often with both hens and both chicks squashed into one box. Now the second hen is getting a bit bored and we may let her out to free range again.  Her 2 or 3 eggs didn't hatch. The day after these two chicks hatched another hen emerged from the undergrowth with a single chick.  At first we put her in with the other two but she did her best to kill the chicks and the other hens, so she is now in an ark within a separate hen house, not allowed out until her chick is half grown.  We can't have the broody-ark outside as it's not really weatherproof.  And to cap it all, all three chicks are cockerels  and we didn't want to breed any this year.

[Roxy]

No, the broody hen would not take to the chick if she is sitting.  And the big hens would definitely peck it, until its quite a bit bigger - they are terrible with chicks.  Why can't it stay with the hen who hatched it out?  At least its safe with her, and she will look after it, as its "hers"

[loopy]

i was just hoping to move the adoptive mommy back in with the other hens, as i think she is bored of being away from them, spends a fair amount of the day watching what the others are doing, pacing back and forth.  But i don't think it is at all safe to move the chick out with her, due to threat from other hens, and from my cat as the chick i think could still fit through the netting (and the adult hens can't so if the chick escaped and was in danger re cat, the mother hen wouldn't be able to get to it to protect it).  Could leave them both in there together and ignore that she is getting stressed, but would mean nowhere to put a broody until the chick is big enough for us to eat, as we "only" have 2 chicken houses....and was hoping to have more than 1 table bird this year!  Wish i had more space, would love another chicken house, and one for ducks too!!

[Fleecewife]

We have now let our three hens and their three chicks out into the big wide world !  All is well so far as each mother can keep a close eye on her chick.  The two who brooded together now go round together with the two chicks, although when one was taking a dust bath today the other hung around next to her and looked after both chicks.  The other highly defensive hen is keeping herself to herself with her one chick in tow. We make sure she is back in her ark within the third hen house well before the others go to bed, and is not let out until they have left the house in the morning and it seems to be working so far. We have a lot of predators here though so if they all survive I will be surprised.
Could you not quickly put together a small broody ark for the hen with a clutch? She could stay in there until her chicks are a couple of weeks old, by which time the older chick will be better able to defend itself, or at least hide.