cheapest design wins!

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

yes it is my call.. and i need more people!

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

i say the broody momas should get the 'cheapest incubator' call!

what can i say when i have been using broodies this year instead of chancing it with a mechanical incubator that i would be lucky to get 0 to a few chicks! and how can you pass up the opportunity to see a moma hen with her sweet little brood peeking out from under her fluffy butt! you rarely have to worry about how they are doing while you are at work while moma is in charge!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Great Pic!!

 

[Iheartchicks<3:)]

but wouldnt the other chickens bother her?

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

it depends on the other chickens and how protective the moma hen is. i've been able to leave a broody hen in the coop with the others and i just mark the eggs i plan on hatching under her. i collect any eggs laid that day that aren't marked. i've used a really large dog pen to keep the other hens out the last couple of days of incubating so they don't add more eggs or grab chicks as they hatch and moma can feel secure while the chicks are still young and learning their place. i hatched out 8 chicks under one hen that way and after a week the chicks were running through the spaces between the bars and around with all the other birds and no one messed with them, especially when moma was near them! they associate me with being the food bringer and are still that way when they see me! moma pushed them away after a month of fussing over them but they think i'm mom to all of them still!

a suggestion for a cheap coop design is always the free pallets you can get from most big box stores! they usually put them out year round but especially during the winter months for those people looking for free firewood! and any other needed coop making items could be requested for free through your local www.freecycle.org

 

[aussieheelr]

You know I'd have to go with broody too. You don't have a say when to "turn them on and off" but they double as a brooder, teach the chicks to be chickens, protect the chicks and when not in service they lay eggs too. No electricity just the feed you put out anyway.

 

[fl_deb]

Plus, if you free range them, you hardly need any feed!