A wool hen - creating one today

[Mrs. K]

I am planning to try this with meat birds. I am also going to try it with a worn out wool saddle pad. When they are small, they need it close together, I think. Close enough to keep them warm, not so close they cannot move in and out.

 

[Thespeckledchick]

 

[Thespeckledchick]

My small wool hen for 4 chicks.

 

[Cayuga momma]

My small wool hen for 4 chicks.

I also made one for 4 my chicks (now 2.5 weeks old).
Yours looks great, my only suggestion would be to have strips of wool or fleece hanging at the doorway to help keep heat in, but still allow ventilation.

 

[RWise]

I like this idea and will be building a wool hen!
Thanx all y'all!

 

[aart]

My small wool hen for 4 chicks.

Is that foam board?
If so, watch that they don't peck and eat it.

 

[trufadog]

We are getting 8 babies in a couple of days. We want them to stay outside in the run with the one remaining sweet adult chicken, so we are going to make a wool hen and maybe add warm water bottles wrapped in towels to start the warming process at night. Can everyone send us pictures of their wool hens so we can get more ideas. We will hit the thrift stores tomorrow to buy wool and fleece things. Thank yoU!

 

[Mrs. K]

Do realize that your sweet hen is going to attack these babies. Your babies can go into the run and coop, but they need a safety zone. A place they can escape too out of her reach. Pallets, lattice panels or wire fencing slightly off the ground can make a barrier the chick can go through, that the big girl cannot. Set that up, inside of it, set up box or a tote on its side, so the chicks can get out of the wind and weather, put the wooly hen in that.

I am my second year on the wooly hen. You just need good deep bedding on the floor, and some good insulation on top. I have used, a goose down vest, an old cheap pillow, and my first attempt of wool. Attach the insulating piece, so that it is about the height of the chicks back. Make sure they can get out two ways.

You will have to stick them under it at first. I would turn out the lights, they would peep madly, then stick them under there. It should get quiet. And they will go to sleep.

Mrs. K

 

[trufadog]

Mrs. K, They are in the wool hen in the laundry room. We did have to turn out the lights. We have the dog crate that can go into the run and thank you for idea of putting lattice babies can get through but chicken cannot.(oops , I guess it didn't post last night)

 

[trufadog]

Update on their first night: toasty warm inside the wool hen until morning. My partner had the adult chicken in the brooder today and she sat on the for a couple hours. He had no pecking issues with the adult and the 8 chicks. When I was with her, one of the babies tried to peck her eye and she gave them a medium peck. Nothing that could hurt the babies, but I haven't read up on this so I separated them.