Broody in Michigan Winter?

[aart]

I Hear PEEPING!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Now your patience will be tested. Don’t mess with her. I can wait on pictures.

So they are due tomorrow evening. The cold weather really slowed them down didn’t it? We have all these preconceived ideas and life keeps showing us how much we really know.

Now we will see how many do hatch and how the broody handles the cold weather. It’s not over but that is great news

 

[aart]

Now your patience will be tested. Don’t mess with her. I can wait on pictures.

So they are due tomorrow evening. The cold weather really slowed them down didn’t it? We have all these preconceived ideas and life keeps showing us how much we really know.

Now we will see how many do hatch and how the broody handles the cold weather. It’s not over but that is great news

That's For Sure!!

Very Glad they started today..... it's going to be in the 40's today and tomorrow, just above freezing tonite.
No, I won't mess with her. Just observe. She's clucking at it(them).

Was going to build a ramp to the nest and install a low barrier on the partition wall today....will have to proceed slowly and in spaced out increments. Good thing I've gotten her used to me being in there...and I'm in the coop alot anyway.

Friend loaned me her camera that is video capable so maybe I'll get video when the time is right.

 

[aart]

One of my main concerns is water for the chicks once she brings them off the nest.

....open chick waterer(with marbles) might get them soaked?
.......snow too cold for little chicks to hydrate on?

Maybe make a cover for chick waterer that has a couple of holes for access but not enough to step into?
I think I'll try that out......my forte, inventing something useful and functional out of what's at hand to solve a unique problem.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As I said, I have not had a broody raise chicks this time of the year. When I do in the brooder they have a warm spot to go to.

What I do in the brooder is to put rocks in a black rubber bowl so they can walk on the rock but don’t worry if they get their feet or even the down on their bottoms wet. When I have a broody hen with chicks, I add rocks to all my waterers, usually I have four scattered around. It doesn’t bother me or them if their feet get wet, I just don’t want them to get in water so deep they can’t get out. Around here, rocks are free. I’d have to buy marbles. In the winter my waterers are black rubber bowls. In summer the ones in the sun are large white dog bowls so they don’t heat up as much as the black rubber.

What you’re talking about should work. There are two other issues I’d be concerned about. How do you keep the water from freezing? I’m sure you will figure that out.

The other issue is that they scratch a lot, the chicks as well as the hen. They’ll scratch bedding in the water and get it filthy pretty fast. The water needs to be low enough that the chicks can get to it. I used to use plywood but came into some old carpet. I spread that carpet on top of the shavings and put the water bowl in the middle of that. I regularly have to shake the shavings off that carpet but it makes a lot of difference in how dirty the water gets. Since my water bowls are a bit high for the chicks for the first few days and to keep the older chickens from standing on it and turning it over, I make a frame larger than the bowl and top that with plywood. I then cut a hole in that plywood the bowl fits in. That keeps the bowl from turning over and with the plywood a bit lower than the bowl, the chicks can easily reach the water.

 

[aart]

It's going to get so cold in the next week that I want to avoid a chick getting wet at all.

Yeah, no heated waterer for coop partition.....will have to swap out multiple times a day.

There's also the option of horizontal nipples...which the hen knows how to use.

Have mulitples of all types of waterers so......I'll figure something out.

Cheeping and tutting going on...haven't seen anything yet...but have been busy cleaning up some snow amidst the thaw.

 

[tntchix]

 

[aart]

2 babies sighted!!
Spotted them while cleaning adjacent main coop and was able to go grab camera and get a shot, them they disappeared under mama.


Not sure if more are on the way or not.

 

[mmclaughlin]

Wow congrats! Winter chickens!
I am in northern massachusts and I have a broody right now... she hatched 4 chicks in August.. Raised them and now is broody again... I don't think she'll,ever lay again! Lol
If I keep moving her of nest and taking eggs will she get over it?
Will she likely to get broody again? Hoping to,hatch a,few in the spring.. Just not ready right now!
Thanks!

 

[aart]

OK I messed with her(I hear RR gently scolding me), pulled the shells and took a short video.
She didn't seem to mind me messing with her at all, just clucked a bit.
I gave her a few bites of feed and nips from the snow bowl after, she didn't hesitate a split second to gobble them up...we're BBF's now ;-)

I think there's third chick based on shells I pulled and a wetter chick than the other 2 I saw.......only got one chick n video.
I'm new to videos so let's see if I can get it uploaded.