Keep broody from overheating?

Finally we are past our horrible spike in temperatures and back to beautiful moderate weather. It's day 20!

aart said:

Not true........

....many fine broody hens leave the nest daily to eat-drink-poop-bathe...sometimes for a very short time..... some for longer, especially if it's hot weather
I had a broody in Jan-Feb here, darn near the whole 21 days it was below 32F.
At least every other day she left the nest easily evidenced by feed dish reduction and a large poop in an enclosure.
She hatched out every one of her eggs and tended to the chicks for the next 6 weeks.

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She hatched her first chick on day 20 (6/8) and things seem to be going very well. Caught just the briefest glimpse of one very fluffy white chick, so I know for sure that one made it out and dried, and behavior wise, she keeps baby close under her and talks to it. There could be up to 7 more, just have to wait and see when she's ready to show them to us.
So far it seems like she's listening to the right chicken voices.

Shezadandy said:

Finally we are past our horrible spike in temperatures and back to beautiful moderate weather. It's day 20!

Click to expand...

Shezadandy said:

She hatched her first chick on day 20 (6/8) and things seem to be going very well. Caught just the briefest glimpse of one very fluffy white chick, so I know for sure that one made it out and dried, and behavior wise, she keeps baby close under her and talks to it. There could be up to 7 more, just have to wait and see when she's ready to show them to us.
So far it seems like she's listening to the right chicken voices.

Click to expand...

WooHoo!! Great News!!
Pics when they are out and about.

aart said:

WooHoo!! Great News!!
Pics when they are out and about.

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Thanks! Soooo excited!!

This morning we've got 4 total that I've seen, all dry and fluffy and all healthy looking. She let them come out for a minute when I put a little dish of starter and the chick waterer in the front. Got to see the first 'this is how we eat' lesson with the bravest chick, then everyone went back under mom. Waiting on pics until she's done hatching and moving about.

aart said:

WooHoo!! Great News!!
Pics when they are out and about.

Click to expand...

She wound up with a total of 5. Of the 12 eggs we started with, there were 8 left as of 6/5, and of those 8, 5 hatched. 3 intact eggs are in the nest with plans to remove them tomorrow. Almost did today, but with no odor I decided to give it the full 3rd extra day, though she got up with the babies Friday late afternoon.

2 are gray and 3 are yellow. Dark grey could be BR but I think it's a BSL cockerel, light gray should be the white faced black spanish- only white eggs in the bunch- yellows- one is either an EE or cream legbar, the other two, not sure as there was an assortment. The main goal was to give her eggs to see if she would see them through to hatching and tend to them, which she's done beautifully.

So far through the hardware cloth enclosure we haven't had any issues with the flock, so tomorrow we'll try letting them mingle- if I have to separate them I can, but hoping to raise them with the flock.

I haven't updated this for a while. The chicks are now three weeks old and doing really well. Betty has done a really great job with her 5 little charges and everyone easily integrated into the flock.

Here's a little photo diary of sorts:

Everyone did fine through the hardware cloth pen and so, with a nice fresh tasty flock block to distract the big girls from the novelty of little bitty chicks within reach, the pen was opened, and everything went as perfect as one could imagine.


Soon the first dust bath lesson took place.


They learned the delightful taste of mealworms


...and a good warm spot for a snooze.



At a week old Betty decided they were ready to go outside.
They weren't so sure.
They gave it a good look ...




Eventually she got them all down, and they got their first REAL dust bath!


A couple days later they learned the ropes and the easiest way up.



And the pleasure of watermelon on a hot day.




Finally she seems to have decided they're too big for piggy back rides.


Then Doodle wanted up ... then the dark grey chick got on and made it the longest, but eventually found the ground.


Then Doodle gave it another shot and was ejected immediately.




Now expert scratchers, bug catchers and budding fly hunters, the chicks are well on their way. As of now there's one likely cockerel that's like picking up a little lead brick with his reddening comb. I doubt we'll be lucky enough to have just one, but time will tell. One seems to have a little crest poof developing, so we're excited to see what happens there.

Shezadandy said:

Eventually she got them all down, and they got their first REAL dust bath!


A couple days later they learned the ropes and the easiest way up.

Click to expand...

Hahahaha!