A wool hen - creating one today

[aart]

Further update:

For the last couple of days, I have been putting a dog crate with the wooly hen in the run just before dark, and then carrying it full of chicks into the coop. Tonight, I was late getting home, wondering how I was going to get them in the coop. When I got home, they had gotten themselves to bed in the coop.

Sweet!!
How old are they and where were they in the coop?

 

[Mrs. K]

They are 3 weeks old and 4 days. I have been taking out the dog crate in the evening with the wooly hen inside, and at dark, they would get into the dog crate. Then I would carry the crate into the coop. I did not lock the chicks into the crate, it was just a means of carrying them easily. In the morning when they woke up, they could go out into the run as they wanted. They have not been using the wooly hen during the day.

Yesterday morning, I did pull the wooly hen, and just placed it on top of the dog crate. I did that just to make sure that no one was tangled up in it, after finding one in is several days ago, just a precaution. Gathered eggs, fed and watered, and forgot the wooly hen.

Last night when I got home after dark. I looked into the run, in the huddle box, nothing, I was wondering where they were, and sure enough, they were all in the dog crate in the coop. I put the wooly hen in the crate, and left them.

This has been a very easy way to get my chicks into the flock. Nearly effortless, and totally drama free. Much easier than I had expected.

Mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

I am cleaning out old stuff, and have set aside a pair of fleece pants and a couple of fleece hats for future wooly hen. I need to go on a scavenger hunt for more materials. I expect to be brooding about 40 chicks in a couple of weeks. Will start them on MHP and progress to wooly hen and huddle box.

 

[Mrs. K]

It needs to be thick. I hope you have as good of luck.

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks. Will need a lot more material to get the fullness I want.

 

[Mrs. K]

so do you think this idea would work with meat chickens? I have never explored the area of this hobby of meat chickens, but I thought maybe this year... if you have done meat chickens do you think this would work?

mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

I have no idea why it wouldn't.

 

[tmarsh83]

That's actually the primary reason I'm interested. We are planning on doing meat birds this year, during the summer, and I'm completely enthralled with the idea of not having the brood them in the garage during the summer.

 

[Mrs. K]

I agree. Brooding at the coop is the way to go. If you do it, will you report here?

 

[Mrs. K]

My biggest question is how to make it grow with the chicks.

By week four they are still going to need a warm-up spot, but I can't see a dozen of them fitting under there, especially at night. I suppose you could fashion whatever is holding the yarn to accept spacers to block it up, but then you'll have a gap where the yarn doesn't reach the ground. Or am I missing an obvious solution to this?

I really like this idea, especially with my plan to tractor grow meat birds in the near future. Anything to simply that process would be awesome.

The bucket kind of moves a bit as they crawl in and settle, mine will be 4 weeks tomorrow and they are still using it. I think when they sleep, they are flatter on the nest. Now I have it set up in a dog crate, and they can get in either end, but from the droppings, I wonder if all got under it last night. I really don't think they will need it much longer, as most broody hens rather quit between 4-6 weeks.