Broody hen with chicks what to feed them

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I have a long brooder and I put the heat lamp all the way to one end, so if they are hot they can move away from it. My hen likes to lay under it too sometimes.

 

[doublecrossranch]

The brooder is a 100 gal rubber water tank

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Just put it to the side. Here's what my brooder kind of looks like (this is not mine) that my husband built for me:

 

[hysop]

I personally didn’t use a heat lamp in my brooder because the broody hatched eggs in the middle of summer which gets in the high 90s to 100s not to mention the horrible humidity so they chicks wandered around since day one.

But if I ever have a hen go broody in the winter or early spring I will use a heat lamp once the chicks hatch.

 

[MLG1900]

I would not think you need a heat lamp. Mom was able to keep eggs warm enough to hatch. She can keep them warm enough to survive. And I also fed mom and babies the same chick starter.

 

[doublecrossranch]

Candle the remaining egg, it may be bad. If it is dispose of it, so she won't return to the nest but will start taking care of her chicks instead.

I candled it. It looked fully developed but no movement. I took it out so she can focus on raising the live ones. Her poor butt is wet with poop. I hope her runny poop firms up.

 

[doublecrossranch]

I personally didn’t use a heat lamp in my brooder because the broody hatched eggs in the middle of summer which gets in the high 90s to 100s not to mention the horrible humidity so they chicks wandered around since day one.

But if I ever have a hen go broody in the winter or early spring I will use a heat lamp once the chicks hatch.

I put a heat lamp at the far end because it’s going to drop to 26 degrees by morning

 

[rc4u]

look its only stated that layer feed is bad for chicks and well maybe if there meat birds but layer feed is good for all. they still get bugs n mice ect..
Poultry Archives - A Farmish Kind of Life
look at the poultry feed section...

 

[Mach 1 Padilla]

Fullg rown hens do fine in freezing weather and the chcisk naturally go under her if they are cold, no need for aheat lamp. and chick feed with occasional hand full of regular feed is fine.