A Broody Hen Season: Part 5 Flock Integration

[@ashm5206]

Oh no, sorry to hear about Ganet. She was a beauty but had a good life. And speaking of good life, being sat in a field covered in hens and chicks who are nibbling away on treats seems pretty good to me!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Its the best part of the job Ash!

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

Such rich content. I will have 2 separate pullet flocks to integrate in a couple of weeks. Your videos are a godsend. Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Good luck!

[@Mongkolfarm]

Very beautiful chicken thanks for sharing 👍❤️✨🌿🐣🐥🐓

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you 😊

[@amandarobertson8863]

LOVE these videos! Me and my flock of Orpingtons in the US thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

How lovely - thank you

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Great new video today .Got my support.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Awesome thank you!

[@wsudance85]

So sorry to hear about the loss of Gannet. 🙏🏻😢

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Greg

[@francineclave2207]

Your Buff Orpington’s are spectacular! They are so BIG! Once I am a more experienced chicken keeper I’d love to have a bird that big! Wow

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@chucktaz1]

Thanks for another great video

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's really kind of you Chuck - thank you

[@sarahflatter-lardinois4104]

I stumbled upon your videos when two of our hens went broody...thank you so much! All of this information has been and is so helpful. I hope you and your flock are doing well! 🙂

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm so glad Sarah! We are all fine, I hope your broodies do well!

[@orlaithmcg]

Really enjoying this series. I have a herd of guinea pig ladies and they have something akin to a pecking order too. When the matriarch (not necessarily the oldest or biggest pig) passes away, we have bedlam for about two weeks while they shuffle positions within the herd.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's fascinating, I didn't know that!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Seiko. We feed chick crumb to all the flock when there are chicks about as you can't choose who eats what. We do offer fine oyster shell so that those hens still laying get enough calcium. When the hens have left the chicks we will move the whole flock onto layers. Chicks can have other food like green leaves & whole wheat after they are a week old.

[@keithtrestrail5003]

Love you're videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Keith

[@alancross2826]

A great series, very informative and interesting, thanks for taking the time. Regards Alan.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So glad that you enjoyed it Alan

[@TheOldSwedesFarm]

Very informative video. Thanks for sharing! We've never had chicks with our hens. We've just kept our chicks separate (as a group) until ten weeks. They are integrating well. We've got some beautiful Buff Orpingtons, so maybe we'll have them watch chicks in future years.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Buff Orpingtons ate fantastic mothers, I'm sure you'll get some go broody. If you give them a coop & some fertile eggs, they will generally do all the work for you (which is nice!)

[@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999]

Love your channel!! ☺☺

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You are lovely Barb!

[@mazonnejones5270]

New to watching you chat about the super world of chickens. I too am Lincolnshire, so it's nice to see how well you are keeping the chickens happy during this flockdown period again. Brand new to having chickens, in fact I picked up my 6 week old little bundles only a couple of days ago. They are salmon faverolles. We have 4 and currently staying indoors as its a bit too cold overnight. I have started doing what you suggested to begin to tame them and get them used to us. I would like to ask how to begin picking them up. I don't want to hurt them. Thank you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

The best way to pick them up is a hand on each side holding the wing closed, thumbs on their back and fingers curled underneath. To catch one if they are running around, don't try to scoop them up, push them down to the ground by putting a hand between the shoulders to stop them running around, then pick them up.

[@mazonnejones5270]

@@EnglishCountryLife wonderful thank you. I shall continue to learn from your videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@mazonnejones5270 You're very kind!

[@BLAQFiniks]

Sad to hear about both Garnet & Halumi~ 😢 But I love those mini fluff-balls jumping all over you! They are cute. I like stripy ones the most! 🙌 Whenever I watch your videos I think how pretty and sturdy looking you hen "infrastructure" is: coops, drinker covers, dust baths! 😄 If I remember correctly Hugh is the one to build those, wasn't he? Have you considered building couple of coops for sale? I believe those won't be cheap but I think some chicken enthusiasts would love to get their hands on one of your coops for its quality alone~

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Alex! Hugh here. Thank you for your kind words. I am going to cover coop making in a video this Winter. We are also talking to coop manufacturers trying to line up recommendations for solid well made coops. Regards - Hugh

[@keithpugh7538]

Love your videos

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Keith, that's really nice of you

[@inmyfreetyme]

I Subscribed to U today, June 29th. Love your videos. I will check out your other vids. Cheers!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@inmyfreetyme You too!

[@Picar70]

2:59 Fighting poop lol

[@rosemarysmith6255]

Hahahaha

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Cinnamon wasn't taking it very seriously!

[@hedgecomber]

Love this series so much!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Jane - come meet them one day?

[@bgtrev]

Ups and Downs of keeping livestock, sorry to hear about Gannet.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Trev. As you say, its all part of it.

[@chickenorb7366]

That was a lovely, informative video, I am not sure the link for chicken chickens is working

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you. Which link is it that isn't working?

[@kellymorgan4783]

Hello again - another fantastic lesson! I'm a little less panicky each day but I'm back with more questions :) With the mite infestation issue I've been tackling I haven't opened the gate between the two groups yet. I've had to move the chicks and broody between their run during the day and a bird cage set up across the coop at night (broody JillyHen is being so patient with all my fussing!) How will the process differ if I let them out when they're a week or maybe 2 old? I'm thinking they need to be settled in their broody coop again for a night or two before I let them out? With a little luck and a lot more cleaning tomorrow I might put them back in tomorrow 🤞🏻 I won't deny I keep looking at my rooster, RussellCrow's feet - they are SOOOO big next to the sweet little 3 day olds he'll surely crush them without noticing!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

At a week or two old they should be fine. Very occasionally an older hen or cockerel might accidentally step on a chick, but it's rare!

[@kellymorgan4783]

@@EnglishCountryLife THANKS for the response!

[@jennytaylor3409]

Oh Ganet too! So sorry!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Jenny

[@thosewhobelieve122]

Your flock integration looks wonderful. I wish mine was the same. My broody’s chicks are almost 7 weeks old and they’re still frightened of me. I’ve tried numerous times to hand feed them but she just takes the food out of my hand, throws it on the ground and calls them to eat it. Some will eat from a small cup in my hand but not directly from my hand. They do run to me when they see me so I know they associate me with treats. She also is very territorial over food and treats and will not let my other hens eat alongside her and the chicks. I’m kind of looking forward to her weaning them already.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It sounds like you are doing all the right things! We have raised generation after generation of hens so the fact that we are seen as safe is passed on from hen to chick . Keep at it and I'm sure you will get there

[@curiouscat3384]

My observation is that the broody mama will "test" the bit of food and then throw it down to the ground for the chicks' easy access. She'll do that several times until she's convinced that all her chicks know that it is good food. Then she'll just stand there looking around, waiting for the babies to eat. I don't know if you sit and relax with them but I think Fiona's method of sitting calmly with her hand at chick height for as long as they're interested, then they might take it from you. Hold your hand on the ground with the food - try not to move around much and don't talk :) Although whenever I do anything in the broody yard I try to mimic the mama's cluck so they will get used to my unique sound and not be so afraid.

[@thosewhobelieve122]

@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, actually, after watching this video, I decided to be more persistent and have been feeding them cold yogurt from a cup from my hand. She can’t pick it up and throw it to the ground. Eventually, they were all fighting over the yogurt and even pecking it off my skin. They have been coming closer to me too but I still can’t pet them without them running away. I guess I have to keep on trying!

[@thosewhobelieve122]

@@curiouscat3384 That makes sense. I have tried to let her peck from my hand until she’s satisfied but she pecks hard so I just drop the food at some point and then they all eat it then. Lately, I have been closing my hand on her and only opening it for the babies. She acts so confused when I do that, poor thing. Not sure how other broody moms are but whenever they would cheep in distress because I got close to them, she would get very stressed and puff up, acting like she was coming to the rescue or attacking me...I don’t know which. So I just left them alone. She still does that sometimes even though they’re 7 weeks old. She’s a typical helicopter mom I figure. But I do go “bok bok bok” whenever I have treats and they come running excitedly. I love to see that. It’s so comical.😁

[@curiouscat3384]

@@thosewhobelieve122 You're doing good. And at 7 weeks they're about to be rejected by mama so the dynamics will change a bit but they're already old enough to not necessarily want to be "pet". I have a full height coop I can stand in so if I want to work with a particularly flighty bird, I go in early in the morning or night when they are relaxed on their roost. I snatch (as calmly as I can, haha) the bird and firmly hold her wings to her body and start stroking her back until she calms down. You can feel her body relax and she'll actually sit. Keep doing this and eventually she'll at least not be afraid and sometimes they'll welcome you picking them up and petting them. Do you have Buff Orpingtons? I've raised a mix of breeds and I'm just now raising some Buffs. They definitely live up to their reputation for being calm and friendly. I hope you have fun with them :)

[@jennytaylor3409]

I do have a question about food. When you start to integrate the chicks into the flock, do you put only chick food in all of your feeders? With the momma's needing more calcium, but the chicks needing more protein, how do you go about that?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We do put out just chick crumb. The broodies don't need extra calcium because they are off lay. We do provide oyster shell for the hens that are in lay so they can top up their calcium

[@shirleymoore1242]

Found this series when my bantams became broody - unfortunately I hadn't any eggs for them to sit on.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It is possible to buy fertilised eggs from chicken breeders through the post so maybe next spring? I wish you luck!

[@shirleymoore1242]

That would be great but don't know if eggs can be posted to NI. Would even be prepared to buy an incubator if I xoukd get some now.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@shirleymoore1242 There are breeders selling fertilised eggs in NI if that helps? www.chickens.allotment-garden.org/poultry-suppliers/live-egg-for-sale-Fermanagh.php

[@Picar70]

Also, what's your opinion on smaller size chickens like bantams, silkies, cochins etc?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I think they are lovely creatures, sweet & very charming. We are using ours as utility breeds for meat & eggs & clearly bantams are less useful for that but where space is restricted they are a great choice

[@donnapemberton8100]

Poor Ganet, she was a beautiful lady 😢 my chicks are now 10 days old, they are in the brooder in the house. I wasn’t going to let them outside until 6/8 weeks depending on weather.. do you recommend I let them outside now for a few hours each day to mix with other hens, or in a separate run but so they can see each other, or wait? Also I’m only feeding the micro pellets, they do feed off my hand 🥰 is there any other treats I can give them?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Donna! We allow our chicks to mingle with the flock from day 2, but they are supervised by a broody who ensures that they are warm, dry & safe. Its great to let yours mingle but clearly you need to perform those functions! Food wise some whole wheat or crumbled soft bread (from their own loaf because its illegal to feed kitchen scraps 😉) is fine

[@donnapemberton8100]

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you for that advice, I think I’ll take them outside tomorrow with extreme supervision. My ladies love whole wheat so I’ll try some hand feeding the chicks.. I’ll get them a fresh loaf of bread tomorrow.. best wishes 🐓🌳🪵

[@bayleylb]

Wow, that’s amazing how you integrate the chicks with the flock so well. I’ve got 2 silkies and two hybrids and I think that the two hybrids would just be to aggressive towards the chicks and I’m Just nervous that they’ll injure them or even kill them!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

To be honest the broody Orpingtons take care of their chicks very well. No other bird dares to mess with them! Its not to say that there isn't the occasional accident of one getting stepped on - but not attacked

[@bayleylb]

@@EnglishCountryLife what you do is amazing! Keep it up 😃

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@bayleylb Thank you so much Bayley!

[@lucindawilliams6838]

I have five hens and a rooster who has been wonderful. One of the hens hatched ten chicks two weeks ago and she has done a great job. When and how should we reintegrate the chicks? The hen wants to be back with the flock but the rooster is acting like he wants to peck or attack the chicks.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We integrate when the chicks are two days old. We supervise closely for the first day. We haven't had an adult bird attack a chick but Orpingtons are a gentle breed

[@lucindawilliams6838]

@EnglishCountryLife Thank you. We have done the same with our two week old chicks. The hen was desperate to get out, so we tried it. We have watched closely. The first day, the rooster rushed at a chick and I blasted him with a water hose. He was very surprised, but it has reset the rules, and they are all doing well. They have a large area and lots of vegetation and trees for cover. I think this is important for the chicks and adults not to be in each others way. Thanks for your reply!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@lucindawilliams6838 You are absolutely right, space to get away from each other is vital! Sound like you have everything covered 🙂

[@nevernever7709]

Hello. You have the most beautiful set up. I'm wondering how many chickens you have, and how, where do you accommodate them all? Meaning, do they all sleep separately in a variety of little coops of their choice, not one main house?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! It varies enormously because of breeding. We keep a core breeding flock of 8-10 Orpington hens plus 1-2 cockerels who live in one large coop and 6-8 hens of other rare breeds who live in their own coop. When an Orpington hen goes broody she gets her own coop to raise 8-10 chicks. We have 8 coops in total, 6 being broody coops.

[@nevernever7709]

@@EnglishCountryLife Wow! I think i need a lot more infrastructure! 🥴 I started out with a large omlet coop and run. Then realised I couldn't let them out in the open due to predators, and just how special they are. And its just so hard get a good mixed flock happening. I bought a dozen eggs online and ended up with one rooster! He is now the most beautiful pet rooster ever! So gentle and lovely , I named him Mr Darcy! Lol Because he's proper gorgeous! Thanks so much for the info 🙂

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@nevernever7709 No problem. You can put an electric fence in easily which provides a good measure of safety from predators. We have a video on how to do it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/faq5fmSEaNGnmKs You don't need all our coops unless you are planning to breed fifty or sixty birds a year!

[@nevernever7709]

@@EnglishCountryLifeThank you. Last question if I could. Will a hen go broody every year? Im trying to work out how to accommodation 6 hens needs. And do you ever put a hen off brood? And if so how do you do it?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@nevernever7709 Hi, some breeds almost never go broody (Warrens, Australorps), other breeds go broody every year, sometimes twice (Orpington, Silky). Our non Orpington breeds keep us in eggs when the Orpingtons are broody.

[@Miguel195211]

I Ike the setup.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Miguel

[@stanmondzelewski9253]

I have chicks due to hatch this weekend. My coop is 4ft off the ground. It has 2 steep ramps going into it. Would new chicks be able to handle the ramps? Should i keep momma and babies in their brood coop for a few days?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Stan. We generally keep hen and chicks in for 24 hours after hatch to let the chicks gather strength. Very steep ramps are a problem for chicks especially if slippery. We often put a covering on ramps and build steps up the sides to help chicks navigate them but 4' is huge, you will need to be very vigilant

[@stanmondzelewski9253]

@@EnglishCountryLife would id be a bad idea to keep them in the brood coop for a week or 2?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@stanmondzelewski9253 Certainly not ideal Stan, the hens generally prefer to be outside to poop and the chicks develop faster. Depending on where you are, weather may be a factor in that decision. Chucks cannot regulate their body temperature or shed rain when small - cold & wet can kill them

[@stanmondzelewski9253]

@@EnglishCountryLife im southeast U.S. No one is home during the day to babysit the chicks. I worry about em falling out of the coop, or not being able to get up the ramps. My brood coop has a small run on it. The chicks are going to be old english game bantam/polish mix. The broody hen is my old english bantam. Shes on polish hen eggs. My only rooster in a old english game bantam as well. Im expecting the chicks to be very small. First time hatching, i want em to habe the best chance they can

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@stanmondzelewski9253 You really need something very close to ground level Stan - a simple wooden box if necessary

[@lindapeterson3483]

I just watched this video again because I now have 5 new chicks: 4 2-week olds, and a single one-week old. After coming out of the incubator I put them in a tote in the house and a week ago I started taking them outside for about a half hour or more a day. Other chickens have come around expecting treats and have pecked the chicks, but no one seriously hurt. Yesterday, I moved the chicks to a brooder box in the coop where they can be isolated yet see the other chickens. Should I now let them out to spend more time around the other chickens as long as I stay with them? How should incubated chicks be treated as opposed to hen-raised chicks? Are there differences?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hey Linda! We had to introduce the Old English Pheasant Fowl to the hens as incubated hens as their broody broke a few days before hatching. You can see our arrangement in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJCyaaGBeLmoZ80 Essentially we copied the behaviour of a brood hen so we had the chicks and their coop and run in the middle of the chicken field so that they were familiar with the older chickens and vice versa. At around 6-8 weeks old the brood hen would naturally leave chicks to be independent so that is when we let the chicks out into the field. It's important there's lots of space and things for them to hide behind as they navigate the older flock but with a familiarisation before they are released, they should be OK at between 6-8 weeks old.

[@lindapeterson3483]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you so much! You are such a wonderful help and I appreciate your time! 💕

[@lindapeterson3483]

Two weeks ago yesterday, my first broody hen, KAGA, hatched out 5 eggs over 4 days, so the chicks are now 2 weeks old. I have about 20 eggs in the incubator from another broody that broke her set and they’re due to start hatching in about 4 days. KAGA still takes her chicks into the brooder box in the coop at night where they stay til morning. I only have the one brooder box and want to put the new hatchlings in it with KAGA. Is this advisable? If I do, will the new babies gravitate to KAGA and her chicks and will she take care of them? And if I do this, how soon should I put the babies in the brooder box? I have to keep the brooder box door open so KAGA and her babies can come and go. This is all new to me.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm so sorry to say but an age gap of 2.5 weeks is enormous in terms of chick development. Even if she does accept them under her on the 1st night, the brood hen looks after day old chicks differently to chicks 17 days old. At a day old with only down feathers they need the brood hen to keep them warm more regularly then chicks with a half covering of proper feathers. At a day old, the chicks need to be taught about food and water but chicks of 2.5 days don't. At a day old chicks have tiny legs and need the brood hen to move slowly and deliberately keeping the them close but at 2.5 weeks old the chicks are roaming freely. The final hurdle is that as early as another 3 weeks KAGA will begin to send the chicks off to independence which will be too early for your new chicks. They still need her warmth at night at that age. Every hen is different and I'm not saying it's impossible but it does come with risk.

[@lindapeterson3483]

@@EnglishCountryLife Fiona, thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I really didn’t want to do this, but it looks like I’m going to have to put the chicks in a large tote in the house as I usually do for chicks I get from the feed store/hatchery. In 2-3 weeks, if KAGA has sent her chicks off on their own, the brooder box should be empty and I can move the chicks in there. And, hopefully by then, our outrageous heat wave will be over and it will be safer for the chicks in the coop. This is quite a predicament for me. I never anticipated having such a wide range of ages in my coop as well as the large numbers. My chickens now range from 2 wks to 3 years and I have 36 (counting the babies), in my 10’x16’ coop! 🤦‍♀️ Ten or 11 of those chickens as well as two ducks will be going into the freezer in about 3 weeks and that will help a lot. But I’m going to keep KAGA’s babies and 5 of the new hatches and will give a neighboring chicken farmer the rest.

[@deborahmartin9672]

At what age do you separate mum from her chicks or do you let them just do it naturally?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@deborahmartin9672 It happens naturally, normally at 6 to 8 weeks after hatch but it can be as early as 4 or as late as 14 weeks

[@deborahmartin9672]

@@EnglishCountryLife oh, ok, thankyou. Someone said to me to take them away at 4 weeks but my Pekin Bantam had her chicks hanging around her for about 6 months…when the chicks were boys they didn’t hang around as long.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@deborahmartin9672 Our Orpingtons hatch in a separate broody coop. When she's ready the hen just goes back to the main coop leaving the chicks behind

[@axelcarrasco90]

Alright my question is do you have to water you’re grass or is it naturally like that because it’s nice and bright green

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Axel, we don't have to water the grass, we are in the middle of mild farming country with lits of rain!

[@tsthenetherlands777]

Are you not bothered by birds of prey? I lost several chickens to that.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thankfully, so far, they don't cause problems. We have kestrels and sparrowhawks that are probably only a danger to chicks, buzzards, kites and harriers (as well as three types of owl). So far, they alarm the chickens when they perch near the enclosure or fly over but do no harm.