How do we get our bantams to sit on their eggs?

[steppemum]

I have a large fox proof run with 2 hen houses in it, one bigger one and one tiny one with 2 bantams in it.
The bantams turned out to be a cockerel and hen (we thought we had bought 2 hens!)

So, we thought that we would let the hen sit on a batch of eggs and then give away all the males, including the dad and keep the females.

We could use the small house for the sitting hen, and stick the cockerel in with the others, we made them all go in together in the bad weather and they were fine, and we are thinking of putting them all in together anyway. (they roam together all day long)

So, she is laying, sometimes in her little house and sometimes in the big hen house, the cockerel is full of the joys of spring, so I am sure he is active.
Do I just leave her eggs down in the lttle house, until she has a clutch and hope she then starts to sit? Do I need to wait until she goes broody? None of mine have ever looked broody, so don't know what this looks like.
Am I just being overly optimistic that they will breed?

[steppemum]

any chicken lovers out there?

[steppemum]

Oh bugger.

When dd went to put the chucks ti bed the cockerel was dead. I think the fox got him and then got disturbed. Fortunately he didn't get in and get the rest, and if we were going to lose one, then the cockerel was the one, but it is sad, and dd was pretty sad.

[Tika77]

I’m sorry for you losing your cockerel. :-(

[OneEpisode]

Sorry for your loss. I hope you can keep the others safe. You haven’t described his death bed. It’s possible it could have been one or more of the larger hens; as the cockerel grows to adulthood he fights the older, larger, hens for dominance. This can get messy sometimes.
Perhaps don’t get another cockerel unless you have a plan a and a plan b for any male chicks that are born? In most areas you can’t rehome males, and you may have to accommodate them in some way.

[steppemum]

no, no plans for another cockerel, this one was an accident! We knew he couldn't last the summer, as we are suburban not rural. Our neighbours have been very nice, but we knew we would have to rehome him.

He had his neck broken, but body left. He had a habit of roosting in a bush instead of going in the house, and dd had to get him and stick him in. She was a bit late putting them in and he was dead on the ground. The fox was in the garden sniffign round the run the following morning at 6 when I got up, so pretty sure it was him.

The chickens have a secure house with a secure fox proof run. They also free range round part of the garden when we are at home.

[OneEpisode]

I hope dd has recovered! Good luck with the others..