My bantam is sitting on two fertile buff Orpington eggs, need advice for after they (hopefully) hatch.

[spidermonkers]

Our little bantam decided to go broody shortly after our rooster joined our little flock. She’s been sitting on two of our Buff Orpington’s eggs. We saw the rooster mate the hen and a few days later I let her keep a couple of eggs to try and hatch. They were laid on 02/22 and 02/23, and will be due to hatch about 3/15 and 3/6 I think. I candled them today and see an air sac and veins and a distinct blob in each so they’re developing. My problem is that we have an elevated coop and it’s been quite cold here so I’m worried about the newly hatched chicks falling from the top of the coop and not being able to get back up there, and also freezing if our little bantam leaves the nest. Should I place them and “momma” in a brooder after they hatch for a few days (or longer) and then put momma back outside and keep the babies inside until they can join the flock on their own? Or should I just take them away from her right away and raise them like chicks I’d buy at the store?

 

[marli365]

I, too, have broody bantams that constantly want to be Mommas. I have let them hatch regular-sized eggs, but I would not let them have more than two, as the Mom has trouble covering the babies at night with her body. Do you have a place you can move her, away from heights and distractions and cold?
Here is what I would do - what works for me:

1) Set up a small extra "coop" where she can be alone. She does not want company right now, for about a month or so. I have an old coop outside of my chicken run that I put a dog heating pad in (for an outdoor kennel) with cardboard, then newspaper on top. She has her own food and water (at the bottom of the ramp), so she will poop outside her broody box and get water and food when she decides to do so. If you put a bunch of layers of newspaper, you can remove one layer at a time as they get messed up.

2) Move her into the coop at night and put her in a big straw nest with ceramic eggs at first to make sure she stays on task. Bring the eggs you want her to sit on in the house overnight and put them on a regular blue cloth heating pad on low for the evening. (Away from dogs and children!)

3) When she is settled in the next day, sneak the good eggs underneath her, and take away the ceramic ones.

4) Later, about day 18 or so, move the water and food closer to her and maybe close the door to the ramp so any hatchlings do not fall out of the brooder. Now you will have to pay better attention to keeping the area clean of the large broody poops. With the door closed to the ramp, I add a little battery-powered light so she can see the food & water (and chicks!)

5) One thing I do, once the broody is good and committed, is bring her a small handful of those special peanut-crab ball chicken treats. Then I make sure she gets some special time when the sun is out and NO ONE ELSE is free-ranging yet - the rest of the flock is still cooped up. I carry her as far as I can before she squawks - I try to make it to the dust bath by the house, to bathe and scratch and poop and enjoy the sun for 10-15 minutes. (She squawks when she absolutely can't wait another minute to go potty, and is asking to be put down.)
Then I open the door to her house so she can run back inside and sit back down on the eggs when she is ready. There are no other chickens to distract her, and more importantly, the other chickens do not have access to her little nest, to mess it up.
Once she is back inside, I re-lock her door and let the rest of the flock out to do their free-ranging for the day.

I have read that they can be off the nest for about 3 hours max, but I have never had them stay off that long. Usually they can't wait to go back and are inside again in 10-20 minutes.

 

[spidermonkers]

I, too, have broody bantams that constantly want to be Mommas. I have let them hatch regular-sized eggs, but I would not let them have more than two, as the Mom has trouble covering the babies at night with her body. Do you have a place you can move her, away from heights and distractions and cold?
Here is what I would do - what works for me:

1) Set up a small extra "coop" where she can be alone. She does not want company right now, for about a month or so. I have an old coop outside of my chicken run that I put a dog heating pad in (for an outdoor kennel) with cardboard, then newspaper on top. She has her own food and water (at the bottom of the ramp), so she will poop outside her broody box and get water and food when she decides to do so. If you put a bunch of layers of newspaper, you can remove one layer at a time as they get messed up.

2) Move her into the coop at night and put her in a big straw nest with ceramic eggs at first to make sure she stays on task. Bring the eggs you want her to sit on in the house overnight and put them on a regular blue cloth heating pad on low for the evening. (Away from dogs and children!)

3) When she is settled in the next day, sneak the good eggs underneath her, and take away the ceramic ones.

4) Later, about day 18 or so, move the water and food closer to her and maybe close the door to the ramp so any hatchlings do not fall out of the brooder. Now you will have to pay better attention to keeping the area clean of the large broody poops. With the door closed to the ramp, I add a little battery-powered light so she can see the food & water (and chicks!)

5) One thing I do, once the broody is good and committed, is bring her a small handful of those special peanut-crab ball chicken treats. Then I make sure she gets some special time when the sun is out and NO ONE ELSE is free-ranging yet - the rest of the flock is still cooped up. I carry her as far as I can before she squawks - I try to make it to the dust bath by the house, to bathe and scratch and poop and enjoy the sun for 10-15 minutes. (She squawks when she absolutely can't wait another minute to go potty, and is asking to be put down.)
Then I open the door to her house so she can run back inside and sit back down on the eggs when she is ready. There are no other chickens to distract her, and more importantly, the other chickens do not have access to her little nest, to mess it up.
Once she is back inside, I re-lock her door and let the rest of the flock out to do their free-ranging for the day.

I have read that they can be off the nest for about 3 hours max, but I have never had them stay off that long. Usually they can't wait to go back and are inside again in 10-20 minutes.

Thanks for the advice!