4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kimbo_frog]

I have my mother hen sitting on 4 eggs now...all seems well and its day 12...

 

I have left her in the main coop with the other girls for now...

as I tried to give her a nice nest box etc out of the way, but she wasnt having it....

 

But I want to move her at weekend into somewhere/something else as things are definatly happening....

 

I know usually with incs you hatch them, then move to brooder with lamp...

 

Now do I need to do this with the broody? or do I let her do it naturally by herself?

 

and what do I home her and chicks in??...indoors or out?...too cold or not??

 

I ideally wanted another eglu for her and the chicks, but my budget is stretched at the moment and they are all out of my reach for now....

 

so the choices are ....an small wooden apex run/house? Like this : http://www.happyhutch.co.uk/showimage.php?image=resources/runs/the-voyager-apex-rabbit-

 

or a rabbit box and run? like this: http://www.petplanet.co.uk/shop_dev/assets/new_product_images/trixie/8204.jpg

 

or even: http://i.ebayimg.com/21/!BSzlZY!!2k~$(KGrHgoH-C8EjlLlh!lGBKFE!4jqu!~~_1.JPG

 

or should they be indoors in a rabbit hutch or cage??

 

I keep reading articles but alot seem based on incs and not broodys...

 

 

anyone with some help??

 

Cheers

 

Kim.x

[abwsco]

My broody is in a plastic rabbit hutch which is inside the WIR. We are going to section off part of the run for her and hopefully chicks. My friend always uses rabbit hutches in her paddock with runs attached.

 

I would also say move the broody at night if you can.

[Egluntyne]

The broody will do everything....all she needs is some secure accommodation, which the tiny chicks can't escape from.

 

You must move her away from the other hens though, as they will kill the chicks.

 

In a fairytale farm yard situation where they are able to wander about freely, she would be able to get them out of harms way , but not in a garden run.

 

There is no need for them to be indoors.

 

Have you got your chick crumbs, chick grit and a suitable drinker for the little ones?

[laurmurf]

Hi Kimbo, i've just come in from the garden doing this very thing!

We've put a broody in a cat carrying box which is itself inside a dog crate which we've covered with a tarpaulin.

 

The cat box is the 'nest' area and the crate is the 'run' (although there isn't much space to 'run' in). I tried to move her during the day, but she was having none of it. So i've waited a bit longer, moved her at night and we've shut the door to the cat carrier overnight to get her to sit on the eggs and make it home.

 

It's hard to get her to think of somewhere other than her own cube nest box as her nest, but i'm hoping with a bit of persuasion (and being locked in!) will persuade her.

 

I got the cat box and the dog crate off freecycle (and no wood for the red mite creepies to get into)

 

I don't know how successful it'll be but we can compare notes!

[kimbo_frog]

Thanx for the reply...

 

I have considered this option, but my walk in run is not rainproof it has bamboo shading for part shelter and goes into my converted shed...

 

I was definatly looking for something that would fit into my run so it would be simple to re-introduce them in time to the rest of the girls....

 

Maybe a large rabbit hutch would be the best option and being inside the WIR it would be more secure than out in the garden...

 

I split my shed up inside so some is the chooks and some is storage for food, bedding etc.

 

I was wondering if I could use something in this storage section for her til the chicks were hatched??

 

She currently sits tight til I come out at 10am to shift her out to eat, drink etc and again at 5pm...should I continue this if she is in a seperate section? as i can have the dividing door open. Or should I leave her with her won food/water in her section?

 

ordered my chick feeder/drinker yesterday, checked at farm shop that they have the chick crumbs in stock. Going to town tomorrow for marbles for the drinker and j-cloths for the floor in whatever the hen/chicks are in. (I use easi-bed normally, would this be ok for the chicks?)

[abwsco]

Following my friends advice I have the divider open with food and water in the big section. I'm lifting her out once a day though as she is not for moving otherwise at the moment. Oh, and I've put some water in the small section with her tonight as she didn't drink much today.

[atsw]

I use easi-bed normally, would this be ok for the chicks?

Yes, that will be fine. The important point is to ensure that whatever you use, it's 'grippy not slippy'. Newspaper or smooth cardboard is out, the chicks cant get a grip when trying to stand up and will end up with spraddled legs (look like they are doing the splits).

 

When our Buf Orps went broody we moved her to a 'broody box' I constructed from a cardboard box that some equipment from work arrived in. This is located at the far end of our WIR, in a area that is sectioned off from the rest of the run using an old expandable fire-guard with a tarpaulin above (to stop hens jumping over). The picture below shows straw bedding that we started with, we've now added Aubiose (just like Easibed) to provide a firmer base for the chicks to walk on.

 

 

We had to shut our girl in the box for 24hrs to get her used to her new home. After that she accepted the move and has sat tight on the eggs since. I'd read about lifting the hen each day to ensure she eats, drinks and poo's, but we've not had to do this as our girl does this for herself, although she has adopted an every-other-day routine. She has food (chick crumbs) and water in the broody box, with regular pellets (raised so only she has access) and a dust-bath in the run area.

 

Good luck with that hatch!

 

Andrew

[kimbo_frog]

Thank you everyone!

 

Its so much clearer now!.. my brain was getting all confuzzled!!

 

Im might move her tonite into the storage section into a cat carrier

 

Then at weekend we will pick one of these up;

 

http://www.petscorner.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=256

 

(hopefully if in stock at the store) its got a lift up lid for easy feeding/watering and also has a built in ramp even tho its not far off the floor anyway, for when the chicks are bigger and more able to get out and about.

 

Ive also got some plastic (worksite) type fencing which I thought might be good for later on when introducing the chicks to the rest, as the holes would allow the chicks to escape from any mean old girls...

 

This will go in the end of my WIR as its got a lower roof in a section (4ft high) so the other girls wont be able to jump over the fencing and i can ass some tarpaulin to make it nice and sheltered in there.

 

Im all excited now rather than stressed!! all thanks to you guys....

 

Ive just had 2 neighbours around looking at my set-up because they now want some of their own!!...Im turning the area into chicken city lol...unfortuantly they dont have pc to get access to you lovely lot

 

Kim