Do you have fake eggs in your nest boxes?
No need to buy the expensive ceramic ones in the farm Stores.
I use golf balls.
Some people use those plastic eggs for kids at Easter, filled with sand and super glued closed.
Rocks shaped like eggs.
Anything that will make it appear to the hens that...
I agree, the chicks should be fine now. They may call for her but will soon forget about their dependence on her.
I once had a hen loose interest in her chick when it was 3 days old. Not good!
My expierence is that all my white, pied, and Grey all were taken by preditors and only the pearl survives in my group.
Not because they were less hardy, but because they were more visible targets.
All my chicks go outside at 2 weeks. No matter what the weather is.
I just can't stand the dust, noise and smell after that.
Most of the time the heat lamp goes with them and I just reduce the watage of the bulb to wean them off.
Yours are fully feathered and are set to go.
Hi, as far as egg color of the offspring it's hard to say. When breeds are mixed like your rooster anything possible. Americans lay lots of colors, tending tword greenish. New hampshire reds lay brown eggs. Your Prairie bluebell egger is also a crossbreed between white leghorn and arauconas. So...
This sounds normal to me. It only looks cruel to us.
I would suggest extra feeding and water stations so they have options.
Put some clutter in your run so they can escape. Like limbs to fly up on, a kitchen chair laid on its side, a couple plastic
milk crates to hop up on and hide behind.
It...
Beautiful!
I had an Isa brown go broody and hatch chicks. They supposedly had the broodyness breed out of them too!
Caution with that big bowl of water. Chicks can drown in that real easily.
Yes, the chicks will have difficulty negotiating the ramp.
They will stay under the broody for a day or so, but she will get them out for food and water and start moving them around.
I think leaving them to hatch where they are us a better option right now.
I would move them to a ground cage...
Wow!
Love your creations! Those builds are beautiful!
Sounds like these girls might just worm their way into your heart ❤️.
It happened to all of us.
Welcome to BYC!
Mine get out of the house at 2 weeks, no matter what it's like outside. I have a walk in coop and just isolate a corner for them while they integrate.
Sometimes the heat lamp goes too.
I just can't stand the dust, smell and noise after 2 weeks.
I have expierenced new chicks getting a buildup of hardened poop, mostly under their toenails.
To me it mostly cleared itself up by putting them outside in a ground pen during the day or getting a larger brooder. Are yours crouded?
How many chicks, and what size brooder?
Once they start...
I've 3 chicks, 3 days old
I think I would hold off until these little guys are stronger and at least have wing feathering.
I have lost small chicks before when mama hen was not aggresive enough (timid and low on the pecking order)
And chicks scattered and she was not able to protect them all...
Oh no!
I had this happen to me.
I tried looking like you but never found them
In my case I think they got out on the tall grass and wandered to far out, and got disoriented and could not find the way back.
Having no idea what direction they went didn't help.
I searched for weeks!
So sorry this...
I have separate rabbit hutch/ broody hen set up like you. I move my hens and hatching eggs into that for the incubation period.
I usually wait until chicks are mostly feathered 2-3 weeks old and move them back into the main coop with the adult flock population.
I do this move after dark and make...
You want them to be in an active location so they engage. Also a sunny bright area with no dark "hideyholes". Mindful of overheating in the sun.
I place mine under a shade tree with plenty of food and water. Still diffused light though. Open on all 4 sides co they get a cool breese.
Broodies...
I would use something sticky, like bag balm, Corona ointment, even triple antibiotic ointment. Apply lightly but cover all the wounds.
She won't like it and may not sit still easily. But needs to be done if possible.
Can you catch her?
I always do my dictering after dark, because then I can just...