We didn't get any snow here, yet (Shawano County) but did deal with the frozen water as we didn't have anything plugged in for the outside pens. Now we do.
I also found a deal on these if anyone's interested. They are mini Thermo Plugs that turn on when it's 32°F, and off at 50°F. We have...
Hi, and welcome to BYC! :frow
We have a Coop Forum you could take a look through. These were all built by our members. Many have step-by-step instructions, blueprints, etc. Several are very beautiful. I think you could find a few in there that would work great for you. There's also runs...
Hiya, and welcome to BYC! :frow
I have a few ducks and lots of chickens, but no experience with letting momma ducks hatch. Hopefully, Jen or some duck folks have some advice, or surely you can post in the duck forum @N F C linked for you.
I'm sure you're going to have some ducklings running...
I would also try your local or state poultry groups on Facebook, and also check Craigslist. Don't pay a dime for any birds until you have them in hand though as there are a lot of poultry scams going on.
You could try our Buy/Sell/Trade forum or many of us have luck buying/selling in our state and local poultry groups on Facebook. You can check Craigslist for your area as well. Just don't send money anywhere until you have the birds in hand, as there are scammers out there even for poultry.
Oh, you had other broodies? Sometimes that works but sounds like it didn't that time. That's sad when they get homicidal. The poor mother must've been fighting like mad in there or just gave up.
Normally, when hens hatch the eggs, they never leave the flock, so anytime is fine. She'll protect them. If you have any roosters, they'll sometimes help too.
If you feed an all-flock, that's great as they can all have that. If not, I'd replace the adult feeders with chick crumbles. That's...
The toes were fixed in around 24 hours or so. If they aren't, one more day should do it.
It doesn't know any difference so it's not really suffering as much as you think it is. It's just frustrated mostly.
We use a piece of double-sided tape on a piece of cardboard, like from a cereal box, that is cut in the shape of its foot with toes outstretched, then vet wrap on the top, and then put the masking tape around it to make it more secure. The vet wrap won't pull on its feathers. Painters tape...