Is this ok for a broody on eggs?

[Raven81]

well i quickly put together a coop for my broody to keep her safe & was just wanting opinions & any ideas if i need to add anything. im in nz & its almost full summer here atm..

it has a floor under one end with tin & a door rest of run part has wire on sides & top but not underneath so she can teach them to scratch.

here she is sitting on eggs in covered end
its all made from stuff lying around.

 

[Kittymomma]

Looks pretty nice to me. I'm not sure what your predator situation is there though. If it was here I'd put a 2' apron of hardware cloth around it and secure it with landscape staples to keep the diggers out, but like I said, I'm not sure if that is a big deal for you over there. The only other potential problem I see is the water container. You'll want to switch that out for a chick waterer or at least something really shallow so the chicks don't drown in it after they hatch. Pretty girl! How many eggs does she have under her and when do you think they'll be hatching?

 

[Raven81]

the predator siuation isnt bad over here, cats rats stoats ferrets, dont have coons or foxes or snakes. yea i see the prob with the water container but i do have a small waterer that the 10 wk old chicks have atm which i can switch over once they hatch.
i brought her 6 mths ago as a buff orp x she has a wee bit of feathering on her legs but she is bigger than bantum size.
she is sitting on 6 eggs none are hers the father is SLW & im hoping the mothers were the orps ( have 2 blue, 1 black, 1 splash & 1 buff orps. 1 barred rock, 1 shaver, 1 light sussex, a shaver x sussex, 2 buff orp x) they should hatch on the 10th dec. oh & was thinking when the chicks get a bit bigger i can put something throu the wire so they can practice jumping up to roost.

 

[Raven81]

in my avatar she is the one on the left her sister is in the middle ( the other buff orp X) on the right is a blue orp.

this is the set up for the 10 wk old chicks with the waterer & feeder i can swap over.

 

[walbarbsa]

I have a brooder very similar to yours, though it has legs on it. I have it inside the garage now. One of my silkies hatched her own baby and then, at the same time, I got 20 chicks from Ideal so I moved them all in with her and she's caring for all of them. I do have a heat lamp over the uncovered part. BTW, the bottom of the brooder is wire but I covered it with a piece of cardboard and hay. It works great.

 

[cat1994]

Quote:
I would really worry about the rats!! I had some dig under a pen like that and they drug the chicks in to the hole they made and they take eggs to!! I would put wire under the pen.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I would think ferrets would be a problem as well.

I would move the brooder next to the big run so everyone can see each other. It would make it easier when the time comes to put mom and babies in with the group.

I always let my broodies sit, hatch, and raise their young in the coop with the rest so I didn't have to worry about reintroducing later.