Wool Hen for day old chicks!

[trufadog]

Hello! We are very excited to say that the wool hen that we made seems to be working. I posted the video showing the quiet girls (hopefully all girls!) in their "wool hen". I only found a couple videos online and had to figure out most on my own with what we had in our stuff that was going to goodwill.

So, we will be attempting to put our day old chicks under our only hen tonight but if it doesn't work out, they will still have their wool hen.

The funny and hard part is that they wouldn't stay in it when we first put them in. It was like herding cats! They kept popping out and running around. Finally , I got them all in. Put a piece of cardboard in front of the exit so they would all calm down and turned off the lights. In about thirty seconds, they were all quiet, I removed the cardboard and left. When I checked back in on the in the next thirty minutes, I found two eating and the next time, none were out of the wool hen.

 

[PollyGirl21]

Super cute! Good thinking!

 

[trufadog]

The update is that the hen walked away when the chicks were under her so they are back in the brooder, in the wool hen sleeping in the coop. They won't be mother and babies, but we will eventually have them as nieces and auntie.

 

[PollyGirl21]

Hmmm... are you sure the mama hen didn't walk away just to get a bit of food and water?

 

[trufadog]

Yes, very sure. It was 10:30pm and we were hoping to get them under her at night and then check on them for awhile and then in early morning. She sat on them this morning for a few hours but then she pecked a (not deathly pecked, but medium peck) so I separated her from the brooder. Luckily we have a toasty warm "wool hen" and a dog crate for them.

 

[Goingsolo 24]

I read about the ''wool hen' last week. So I folded a wire frame out of wire mesh. Cut up a ''fleecy blanket' and pegged it on. The chicks are 2 weeks and they hide in there for warmth. They are quiet so they must be happy. am not using a light for warmth at all. It's winter here with inside temps are around 15 degrees Celsius. We live off the grid so not needing to use a light source really helps me. I'm keen to try it on my batch hatching in 6 days.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

Yes, very sure. It was 10:30pm and we were hoping to get them under her at night and then check on them for awhile and then in early morning. She sat on them this morning for a few hours but then she pecked a (not deathly pecked, but medium peck) so I separated her from the brooder. Luckily we have a toasty warm "wool hen" and a dog crate for them.

Did the chicks continue to do well with the wool hen? I had move my 2 week old chicks out earlier than expected. I needed the brooder for an injured hen. This is their first night out in the coop with the wool hen I made. They are quiet, and seem warm. They also have a chicken heating pad. I just worry about my babies.

 

[trufadog]

Sorry, I just saw this! YES! Every night we just made sure they were all tucked inside the wool hen. They wanted to pop out but once we got all of them in, they would stay in there until morning. It was nice and toasty in there. It was an expensive irish sweater 30 yrs ago, so it made a toasty wool hen. We had them in there until they were too big to all fit. Then we put them in with our big girl. Some roosted on the bars and some slept in the nesting boxes. It was California on the coast weather, so probably in the 50s outside at night.

 

[trufadog]

You might feel better if you stick your hand inside the wool hen and feel how warm it is.