Chicken bald back

[kittyl]

Hello, I'd love some advice please. I put my broody Pekin on 6 eggs (mixed pekin eggs) yesterday. I've not done this before, nor do I know anyone who has to ask. I've put her in a weather-proof rabbit box, its about 2' sq & raised a few inches, in a 5x3' pen, which is inside a larger covered run, does this sound ok? the pen is on rough earth, would

it be better to put straw down for when they hatch? Do the chicks like "toys" like logs & low perches? what about

a dust bath? On to food, I'll get chickcrumb, but what about grit, do I get extra fine for the chicks, & is it ok to give a little corn as a treat?

One last thing, I leave food in the run now, when it gets nearer the time should I put some food & water in the box?

So many questions!

[Mollie333]

Hi,

 

Brilliant that you're having a go at hatching!

Please remember to pick her up out of the coop and make sure she has a drink and some food.

 

I'd put Straw in the house, bare earth is fine on the floor. The rabbit house will be fine, but ensure it is fox proof!

I don't think chicks are meant to perch until a lot older, or tend to need a dustbath. But the broody might want a dust bath. With a broody i don't use grit, she tends to find little bits in the bare earth, but that's just me.

I put a jam jar lid with a few marbles in it to stop them from drowning, as it happens a lot. I do this on day 20, and leave her sat on the eggs.

 

Goodluck!

[kittyl]

Hi,

 

Brilliant that you're having a go at hatching!

Please remember to pick her up out of the coop and make sure she has a drink and some food.

 

I'd put Straw in the house, bare earth is fine on the floor. The rabbit house will be fine, but ensure it is fox proof!

I don't think chicks are meant to perch until a lot older, or tend to need a dustbath. But the broody might want a dust bath. With a broody i don't use grit, she tends to find little bits in the bare earth, but that's just me.

I put a jam jar lid with a few marbles in it to stop them from drowning, as it happens a lot. I do this on day 20, and leave her sat on the eggs.

 

Goodluck!

Thanks for the reply Mollie, so far she's come out every morning & rushed round eating & drinking lots then going

back on the nest, in the afternoons I've been giving her a little food & water by hand (which is daft I know)because

she refuses to come off, & if I take her off she wont move!

Would you put the water in the box or just in the run? I did initially put a little tub of water next to the nest, but it

got spilt then she pulled in into the nest & sat on it! (well it did have rounded edges)

What about immunisations? would I ask the vet about this, or a breeder? or get something online?

[atsw]

Would you put the water in the box or just in the run? I did initially put a little tub of water next to the nest, but it got spilt then she pulled in into the nest & sat on it! (well it did have rounded edges)

What about immunisations? would I ask the vet about this, or a breeder? or get something online?

A lot depends on your broody. Mine (both of them!) just don't move for the whole three weeks. They just sit, so for them I put a small (earthenware, so quite weighty) dish of food and water right by them, which I keep topped up during the 21 days. Every few days I lift them off, clear any mess they've made and put them down again (once brooding, my Pekins don't get up to poop or anything!). In the middle of the term they go into a sort of trance, and eat very little, but then around day 18 they come round and start eating and drinking loads. Once the chicks arrive is very important to have a shallow dish for water and put marbels in it as Mollie said, chicks will try to drown themselves in less than 1cm of water (I know from personal experience ).

 

For immunisations, just be sure to feed them medicated chick crumbs from the start - you don't need to worry about anything else, unless you're planning to sell the chicks commercially.

 

If you have any other questions, just ask here on the forum, there's loads of people who have done this all before. One of my two broody Pekins hatched her eggs last Saturday (pictures here), my other one is on eggs due in mid May. Added to that, my Orpington went broody yesterday, but I'm going to be overrun with chicks by the end of May anyway, so I'm going to have to break her out of it as quickly as possible (which is a shame, her sister did a fab job on her hatchlings back in 2009 - pictures here).

 

Good luck,

 

Andrew

[kittyl]

One more thing, I presume the chicks will want to stay snuggled to mum for a few weeks, but I'm wondering how soon they'll outgrow their box? I have a 3' kennel (used as chicken weather shelter) I may be able to convert.

Andrew the pics are lovely, I like your set up, they look very cosy & sheltered, good idea having "weatherboarding"

around the run, I may do that. Your Pekins are gorgeous, I was I bit dissapointed when I collected my "mixed" eggs

that they're only white & buff, I was hoping for more interesting colours, easier to rehome. Still all pekins are cute!

[atsw]

One more thing, I presume the chicks will want to stay snuggled to mum for a few weeks, but I'm wondering how soon they'll outgrow their box? I have a 3' kennel (used as chicken weather shelter) I may be able to convert.

Yes, the massive advantage of hatching with a broody hen is that she supplies all the central heating needs of the chicks. For the first few days they stay tucked under Mum pretty much all the time, you only get to see the odd head poking out now and again, but you can hear lots of tweeting from under the hen, so you know all is OK. After about three days the chicks come out a lot more and Mum is also more relaxed. She will ensure they learn how to feed (she constantly taps the food bowl and pecks the ground) and drink. If it's warm outside, the chicks stay out. If the temperature drops, they stay tucked under Mum. You don't need to worry, Mum will have all that under control.

 

I moved my Pekin and her chicks into the WIR yesterday (7 days). As you could see in the picture, they hatched in a Guinea pig hutch, which was great for the purpose, but didn't really give enough room for Mum to get up and stretch her legs once the hatch was complete. Once the chicks started getting more active, and especially once the proper chick feeder and drinker were installed, it was clear more room was needed. The weather has been good since the chicks hatched, so they have been out-and-about a lot, probably more so than you would normally expect for an April/May hatch.

 

Shelter from the elements is really all you need to worry about. Mum will keep the chicks at the right temperature. I'm sure the 3' kennel you have will be fine as the next stage from the hatching box. You'll know when it's time to switch them, but do it as dusk, mum will be more settled and less likely to stress and accidently stamp on a chick while exploring her new surroundings.

 

Andrew

[Mollie333]

Would you put the water in the box or just in the run? I did initially put a little tub of water next to the nest, but it

got spilt then she pulled in into the nest & sat on it! (well it did have rounded edges)

What about immunisations? would I ask the vet about this, or a breeder? or get something online?

 

Brilliant that she's having a bit drink and eating something.

I put a little pot of treats next to them in case they get thirsty or hungry off-break time. (soaked corn in water for 24 hours, keeps them hydrated) Nothing to messy, in case she drags it under again.

 

Do you mean immunisations for the chicks? I'd ask the vet for advice.. I've never bothered really, because it's not like you'll be hatching lots of eggs from different breeders, and i'm sure your girls are vaccinated so wouldn't give the chicks any deadly diseases or anything.

 

I try to not worm them for as long as possible unless I think they actually have worms, otherwise I'd wait until they are about 15 weeks.

 

Good luck!

[kittyl]

Hi, I have a couple more questions. I'm a little concerned that my little hen Bibble hasnt been off her nest for 3 days,

I got the eggs Thursday, she came off Friday am but she couldnt find her way back in & got in a panic, since then she hasnt left the eggs atall. She has food & water within reach, but I'm wondering if I should start putting the food outside of the box to pursuade her to take a walk & poop. (she hasnt done that either) Should I worry?

Also, I was told that dust-free shavings & soft straw would be ok for the nest, but on this site I keep reading that

shavings may not be good for chicks, should I disturb Bibble & remove them?

p.s. re-reading through, I see that Andrew did say his Pekins didnt get off their nests either! so praps thats normal

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I am perhaps a little more paranoid than most , but I move my broodies once a day so they can feed & poo.. & OMG the stench of a broody poo ...the entertainment value of watching a Pekin running round, high speed dustbathing & shrieking her head off at 90 MPH is worth it's weight in gold Just be around to help her back if she does get lost, she can be away from the eggs for up to 15/20 mins I think, though Blossom seems to manage on 15/20 seconds given half a chance It's quite a floor show for visitors & critter sitters when I'm out

 

I leave a pot of soaked corn as Mollie has suggested nearby in the nest & the mums nibble as needed.......when we get to day 19/20 I leave her be & change the food to medicated chick crumb as close to hatching as I can & have a pot of marbles soaked in water ready for drinks as necessary ..I probably spend too much time nearby, talking to & stroking the mum so she doesn't freak when the babes arrive & I start to handle them too, but there are worse hobbies than chook watching & snuggling ...if I sound besotted, it's because I am

 

My rabble have aubiose or similar in their nestboxes....topped up with medicated crumb when the muppets tip the bowl over & mum kicks it all over the place.....daily

 

Good luck with the hatch,

 

Sha x

[Green Tea]

Hi

 

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment. My first batch of hatching eggs went under my broody, Gretel, on Wednesday last week and she hasn't moved since either. I have put her food and water next to her and she obviously is eating but every time I look in the coop she seems to be in exactly the same position as I left her! I'm not inclined to interfere too much and have decided to let her natural instincts take over.

 

Sorry, I can't answer any of your questions though since I'm as new to this as you are

 

Good luck!

 

Sarah

[kittyl]

I am perhaps a little more paranoid than most , but I move my broodies once a day so they can feed & poo.. & OMG the stench of a broody poo ...the entertainment value of watching a Pekin running round, high speed dustbathing & shrieking her head off at 90 MPH is worth it's weight in gold Just be around to help her back if she does get lost, she can be away from the eggs for up to 15/20 mins I think, though Blossom seems to manage on 15/20 seconds given half a chance It's quite a floor show for visitors & critter sitters when I'm out

 

I leave a pot of soaked corn as Mollie has suggested nearby in the nest & the mums nibble as needed.......when we get to day 19/20 I leave her be & change the food to medicated chick crumb as close to hatching as I can & have a pot of marbles soaked in water ready for drinks as necessary ..I probably spend too much time nearby, talking to & stroking the mum so she doesn't freak when the babes arrive & I start to handle them too, but there are worse hobbies than chook watching & snuggling ...if I sound besotted, it's because I am

 

My rabble have aubiose or similar in their nestboxes....topped up with medicated crumb when the muppets tip the bowl over & mum kicks it all over the place.....daily

 

Good luck with the hatch,

 

Sha x

 

Oh dear, I'm not sure I've done so well with this. As said, I put the eggs under her Thursday evening, but Friday I shut

her pen door but left the roof bit open & went off to my friends to watch "The Wedding" when I got back 2+hrs later she was running about with the other hens fluffed & "bocking", I don't know how long she'd been off the eggs, they were still warm. Once back in the pen she didnt seem worried, she had a good feed before sitting back down. If she was off for too long, might it prevent the chicks developing? I hope - as it was so near the beginning - it wouldnt affect them.

Aubiose, is that like megazorb? I'm a bit afraid of disturbing the nest to get the shavings off - is there a good way to

do it? or do you think I should just cover it with the other bedding?

I'm already giving Bibble chickcrumb, (with a bit of corn & mealwoms) as I thought the layers feed had too much calcium, I hope this is ok for her.

[Redwing]

The eggs will be fine I am sure, Ive had two power cuts interfere with incubator hatches and thats been fine

 

The shavings are also fine, perfect bedding

 

The feed is also ok, she could have stayed on layers pellets but your offerings are just as good. As already recommended some soaked corn is good to keep hydration levels up

 

If she is feeding while on the nest thats fine but do try to get her off the nest once a day to poo, broodies who soil the nest get in an awful mess and it wont do the eggs any good either!

 

When lifting a broody always slip your hands under her wings in case there are eggs stashed there which would fall if you lifted without checking

[kittyl]

Thankyou all, I'm such a worrypot! I'm sure everything will be ok.

[kittyl]

OMG!!

I just decided to lift Bibble off the nest. She shook her legs, had a little peck about, then braced herself, took aim,

and fired out what looks remarkably like a cowpat (but smells much worse)

I'm so glad you lot warned me about this! and I'm really glad I made her leave the nest, boy I wouldnt like that all over the eggs. So thankyou all for that advice!

[Mollie333]

I have three broodies on eggs at the moment.. 3 broody poo's per day for me!

[Green Tea]

Oh dear, I'm way too pathetic for this! After reading all this advice I decided maybe I should go and lift Gretel off her nest to see what happened but she screeched at me and tried to peck me (she's usually such a placid little thing!), so I've decided to go back to my original plan - leave well alone and hope for the best!

[atsw]

I decided maybe I should go and lift Gretel off her nest to see what happened but she screeched at me and tried to peck me (she's usually such a placid little thing!), so I've decided to go back to my original plan - leave well alone and hope for the best!

Yes, a broody chook is often a very different animal to the one you usually know and love . Screeching and pecking is a clear sign she wants to be on her own, so best to leave her to it.

 

Andrew

[kittyl]

Oh dear, I'm way too pathetic for this! After reading all this advice I decided maybe I should go and lift Gretel off her nest to see what happened but she screeched at me and tried to peck me (she's usually such a placid little thing!), so I've decided to go back to my original plan - leave well alone and hope for the best!

Perhaps you could slip a piece of kitchen towel under her tail! or Gretel may get off by herself when she's ready to "go"

(you hope!)