Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[kittyl]

Spotty's eggs are due to hatch Monday, so I'm busy getting things ready. She's in a lidded plastic

cat litter box,(in a small run inside the WIR) its not very big but should be ok for the first few days.

She's sitting on a lovely, snuggly nest of Auboise topped with straw. Now I'm wondering if the straw

will be a problem for the chicks & if I should take some of it out? I cant remember what I used when

we hatched some last year.

[Isobel]

I must say that I did use straw for mine that are now 4 weeks old when I transferred them into the broody pen and I wondered the same thing - I had pine shavings underneath and straw on top, but the mother hen just dibbled about till she had made a nice nest in there and they all seemed absolutely fine.

[sjp]

I move mine onto wood shavings 24-48hrs after the last one is all dry a fluffy I think it make a better surface for their little legs it's makes a good first dust bath for them to

[Egluntyne]

I use Aubiose or Hemcore. Straw wraps itself around their legs, isn't absorbent and can harbour spores.

[Kirstie]

I use straw and haven't had any problems but have used hemcore in the past for my big hens nest and think it would be a good chick nest material due to how finely chopped it is.

 

I have tried wood shavings but my chicks eat it and their mummy hasn't any manners and tells them to eat it!

Mine are now (I think) two weeks old -and they don't sleep in the nest area - Belle lies down in the house away from the nest and they huddle under her- so she has manners here!

[kittyl]

Right, I've picked the straw off the front half of the box & topped it with fresh auboise, so now there's

a snuggly straw bed & auboise to play on! compromise!