I just had a hatch via incubator-- serama/dutch bantam mix. I raise hatched chicks with a broody.
I have 8 broodies to choose from this night. From the silkies & cochins & D'Anvers available,
I chose one of my dun quail D"Anver twins who has been broody about a week.
(They did not share an egg, but share their nestbox & all activities, even as broodies!)
She's always patient & passive, but I notice she's not flattening our her wings for the three chicks.
They have snuggled under her and are sleeping. I am not sleeping yet because I don't know if she'll t up & eat & ignore
them in the morning, since it's not "time" for her to hatch. I sneaked her out of the coop into the incubation room (80F)
and into a cat carrier nestbox two hours ago. SO far, so good. I can't sleep, because I don't want her to abandon them.
I have one silkie who's been broody three weeks. All the other broodies are more recent. I'm bored raising chicks under silkies
& cochins. I want to have a similar-breed mama with these chicks. Should I continue to let this D'Anver pullet cover the chicks, or should I go with the sure thing (silkie)?
Edited for an update at 9 a.m.:
The D'Anver covered the chicks until sunrise, when she got hungry & moved to the other end of the nest box, growling at them & trying to ignore them. I replaced her with my good ol' cochin hen, broody only 3 days, who is dutifully covering them, chooking to them, and teaching them how to eat.
Good ol' cochins save the day
I have 8 broodies to choose from this night. From the silkies & cochins & D'Anvers available,
I chose one of my dun quail D"Anver twins who has been broody about a week.
(They did not share an egg, but share their nestbox & all activities, even as broodies!)
She's always patient & passive, but I notice she's not flattening our her wings for the three chicks.
They have snuggled under her and are sleeping. I am not sleeping yet because I don't know if she'll t up & eat & ignore
them in the morning, since it's not "time" for her to hatch. I sneaked her out of the coop into the incubation room (80F)
and into a cat carrier nestbox two hours ago. SO far, so good. I can't sleep, because I don't want her to abandon them.
I have one silkie who's been broody three weeks. All the other broodies are more recent. I'm bored raising chicks under silkies
& cochins. I want to have a similar-breed mama with these chicks. Should I continue to let this D'Anver pullet cover the chicks, or should I go with the sure thing (silkie)?
Edited for an update at 9 a.m.:
The D'Anver covered the chicks until sunrise, when she got hungry & moved to the other end of the nest box, growling at them & trying to ignore them. I replaced her with my good ol' cochin hen, broody only 3 days, who is dutifully covering them, chooking to them, and teaching them how to eat.
Good ol' cochins save the day
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