August Hatch-A-Long

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Aww! That's too cute!
Hopefully she'll wait a couple of weeks before chasing them off even if she is the one laying just because it's so early. Every hen handles that a little differently though.



I don't like seeing them get the boot either but it doesn't seem to last too long. All of the chicks I've kept from broodies have all integrated as part of the flock.

I'm so so sorry about your keets!! I used long landscape staples to pin the apron down around ours if that helps!

I used long pins from Amazon, but didn’t have enough for the apron to lie flat all the way around. So I went to Lowe’s and bought 150 of the 4” pins and placed them every 4-6 inches. Next will be to work on gaps in the door...

 

[jolenesdad]

I used long pins from Amazon, but didn’t have enough for the apron to lie flat all the way around. So I went to Lowe’s and bought 150 of the 4” pins and placed them every 4-6 inches. Next will be to work on gaps in the door...

Door gaps terrify me. :-/

Mama tried to take them up the perch to the top perch last night. One got confused and landed on top of a legbar. Legbar was fine with it. Mom decided to take them back to the nest.

I’ve got SO many littles if she runs them off and they’re having a hard time I’ll just let all 60 out with everyone.

 

[john_wrightson2003]

Door gaps terrify me. :-/

Mama tried to take them up the perch to the top perch last night. One got confused and landed on top of a legbar. Legbar was fine with it. Mom decided to take them back to the nest.

I’ve got SO many littles if she runs them off and they’re having a hard time I’ll just let all 60 out with everyone.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

Door gaps terrify me. :-/

Mama tried to take them up the perch to the top perch last night. One got confused and landed on top of a legbar. Legbar was fine with it. Mom decided to take them back to the nest.

I’ve got SO many littles if she runs them off and they’re having a hard time I’ll just let all 60 out with everyone.

Lol!! Yes!! The adults would be outnumbered! That would be fantastic! Lol

 

[john_wrightson2003]

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I’m still puzzling over the door and I’m not even sure gaps are a concern. I may post on the coop building forum... FYI, here are pics of the coop, door, and keets when I had just placed them in the coop. The keet standing tall at the front in the dog cage is one of the keets that was killed - our only Coral blue out of 75+ keets we hatched this year!!! We were so very excited to get a Coral blue!!!

When I added the 150 apron pins last night, I definitely found wavy areas that a snake could have easily fit under. We had a large black rat snake get in our garage and eventually saw it leave through a small hole in the garage wall, maybe 3/4” diameter. I wouldn’t have believed that snake could fit through that hole. Snakes are so very difficult to screen out!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I’m still puzzling over the door and I’m not even sure gaps are a concern. I may post on the coop building forum... FYI, here are pics of the coop, door, and keets when I had just placed them in the coop. The keet standing tall at the front in the dog cage is one of the keets that was killed - our only Coral blue out of 75+ keets we hatched this year!!! We were so very excited to get a Coral blue!!!

When I added the 150 apron pins last night, I definitely found wavy areas that a snake could have easily fit under. We had a large black rat snake get in our garage and eventually saw it leave through a small hole in the garage wall, maybe 3/4” diameter. I wouldn’t have believed that snake could fit through that hole. Snakes are so very difficult to screen out!

It is so very difficult to keep snakes out. My husband managed to build our run with practically no gap around the entry door but the door that I installed myself for a separation in the run I opted to use a screen door that was larger that the opening and you mounted it on the outside to prevent gaps. Though I didn't need to be quite as concerned about predators with that door and more so trying to keep tiny chicks in.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I really hope that the gaps you found were where the snake got in and you've taken care of it! Another option would be to add a small border of hardware cloth around the door if the gaps are wide enough for snakes to enter through there. By fastening it to the door it wouldn't hinder opening and closing.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

This is the update on my hobbled chick. After talking to multiple people local to me, not only do I feel that much more confident that @Mixed flock enthusiast was accurate in her diagnosis but a friend of mine decided I have dementia because I actually helped her with a chick that she had with the same condition.

I helped her set up a mug with a sling and little food and water cups for her chick. This was prior to me hatching chicks on my own so I'm pleading the fifth!
I wasn't able to make a timely appointment with a vet that will see chickens and I had already lost time dillydallying while assuming the issue was with the neck so I did try home treatment by wrapping the leg but I was unsuccessful (probably would have gone better had I been doing that since day one) so now my goal is to give her a decent one-legged chicken life. All 8 of the chicks my friend hatched from the same batch are healthy...so now my real concern is that one of the newer hens in my flock must be an aggressor. Possibly between me checking in when the chick was showing weakness early on after hatch there must have been an opportunity for an attack. This is becoming an increasingly likely situation considering my hen did appear to accept the 3 chicks from my last hatch as well and as you all know the result was terrible then too and yet she hasn't shown any aggression that I've witnessed other than accidentally stepping on this chick. Sigh, so I'll be utilizing my broody pen 100% of the time until I find the culprit. This would be a prime example why people recommend separating their broody hens, so I guess I'll now need to subscribe to that method as well at least for the initial few days before allowing the hens to intermingle with their chicks as I did with my first couple broody hens. Just as an extra precaution.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I really hope that the gaps you found were where the snake got in and you've taken care of it! Another option would be to add a small border of hardware cloth around the door if the gaps are wide enough for snakes to enter through there. By fastening it to the door it wouldn't hinder opening and closing.

That’s a good idea, CluckNDoodle! Thanks!!!