Solitary chicken - need advice

[quickcluck]

Hi all.

 

My regular broodies have begun there sit in for this year. I have a chocolate peken and a huge maran that are broody for most of the year, they ususally have to sit it out in a broody cage.

 

Have been thinking about getting some sexed day olds...... any thought? Do you just secretly tuck them under the broodies wings, any they magically do their thing? Do they have to be day old or is there a bit of lee way at all???

 

Thanks

 

Kay

[sjp]

I gave my no1 broody 2 day olds Wednesday after a 100% failed hatch on Saturday and she took to the straight away I didn't need to sneak them in not that I could have the noisy they were making

the place I got mine from told me on Saturday to wait until Wednesday has that's their hatch day as day- two day olds are more likely to be accepted I should add that I had to get her 2 chicks last year after she had a single chick hatch which was 4 days old when I got the 2 day olds well less than day olds so I knew she'd be ok with them she's also an old hand at raising chicks

you do need a back up plan through just in case your broodies won't accept them and you have to hand rear them

[Daphne]

As SJP says, its fine to introduce them slightly older, I think 5 days is my oldest. Wait till the broody has had her 21 days or thereabouts so she is 'programmed' to be ready for chicks, and do have a plan B in case she doesn't accept them (more likely with a first timer I'd say). Do the intros (just pop them under her, or failing that, very near her) in daylight so you can see what happens. When it goes according to plan, then the chances are that Mum will look askance (as in where did these come from?) for a moment, and then settle her already enormous body so that the chicks can get comfy under her. The chicks will just make a beeline for the large mound of warm soft feathers you have very thoughtfully provided, and you can sit back and marvel

 

Do keep the chicks very warm when transporting them home, they chill very easily.

[quickcluck]

hmmmmmmm

 

Does that means that she needs to sit on pretend eggs for 21days and then put a chick in? In my ignorance I thought broody = chicks

[Daphne]

You should let her sit for at least 2 weeks and really I would do it for 18 days or so as a minimum and ideally around 21 days, so you know she really is broody and not just playing at it. Hens take a while for all the right hormones to kick in so a)they are broody in sitting mode and b)then broody in hatching mode so no, I wouldn't just plump some chicks under her, I think the risks are far too high

[quickcluck]

thanks for that! That's why this forum is so great!

[atsw]

You should also take the hen off the nest once a day for a 'comfort break'. Once they are fully broody they tend to go into a trance and forget about things like the call of nature. Just pop them out onto the grass, and within 10mins they will have scratched about, fluffed up feathers and relieved themselves. Be aware the smell can be quite intense . Once that is done, pop them back on the nest and they'll settle straight back on to the eggs.

 

Andrew

[quickcluck]

We do that when they are broody. She's plucked all her chest feathers out! When you put her on the floor she is fluffed really wide who new a peak in could be so big!!!

[daxigirl]

Oh yeah, watch out of the broody poop. Nasty