Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Lindy Loo]

I have a broody Bhrama who has been sitting on 13 eggs in an eglu of her own. The chicks started to hatch last night and this morning we discovered one of the chicks had fallen out of the nesting area.

We now have 7 healthy chicks with 4 more eggs to go.

As one of the chicks fell out of the nest last night I am wondering whether to move the broody and the chicks in to a cardboard box and pop them by the aga. Another thought would be to take the nesting material out of the nest box and put it on the floor of the eglu. My only concern with this is that any chicks that aren't under the protection of their mother could easily die due to cold draughts.

Any advice would be welcome.

[atsw]

Always a bit tricky to know what to do in the first few days when the chicks are so small. Personally, I put our broody in a rabbit hutch for the hatch, and insert a false wall from day 19 to confine the hen (and any hatching chicks) to a small area. This prevents them wandering off in the night or getting too far away from Mum in the first 48hrs.

 

At about a week old they then all move into an Eglu. I remove all the roosting bars and fill the entire internal area (poo tray and nest box) with Aubiose so it's all one level. I then let the Hen choose where to brood her young within the Eglu. Sometimes they sit where the nest box would be, other times they got right at the back.

 

Andrew

[Redwing]

Either of your plans will work

 

I personally would put the bedding in the floor of the eglu