Cleaning the Brooder

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Good Morning everyone
My babies are 2 wks old and I want to clean the brooder out today, which means removing them all from the brooder. When i try to pick them up, they go NUTS! running which way and that and chirping loudly and flapping their wings. All seems like normal behavior, but I imagine it is stressful. Any tips or tricks to get them out with out so much stress???? that brooder is getting washed out today no matter what! Thank you so much for your expertise!

 

[MadamContrary]

Move very slowly and talk them calmly. When you stick your hand over the top of the brooder quickly you trigger the prey instincts, image how much an arm might resemble a snake or perhaps a bird flying over them. I find picking them up with one hand below the chest, and the other over the wings with the feet hanging down is better than just grabbing from behind over the wings, less like being nabbed by a predator.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I just scrape around them. No need to take them out

 

[SueT]

I usually just clean around them, herding them to one side and cleaning that side, then herding them back to the clean side and doing the other.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Move very slowly and talk them calmly. When you stick your hand over the top of the brooder quickly you trigger the prey instincts, image how much an arm might resemble a snake or perhaps a bird flying over them. I find picking them up with one hand below the chest, and the other over the wings with the feet hanging down is better than just grabbing from behind over the wings, less like being nabbed by a predator.

I did it! I found the easiest way to get them out was putting my hand flat, palm up on the floor of the brooder, speaking gently, I moved my hand close to them this way and they are not as nervous as seeing the hand above them. From there, I gently put my other hand over and Viola! The brooder is nice and fresh and every chick is back to normal.
Moving forward, I will just clean sections of the brooder, working around the herd. I wanted to do that orginally, but was aware of all the dust being kicked up. Moving forward, I will not be removing them from the brooder and instead, work around the herd!
Thank you all who took the time to offer your expertise and experience. It means so much to us complete chick noobs. my number #1 personal rule is as little stress as possible.

 

[Chicalina]

I did it! I found the easiest way to get them out was putting my hand flat, palm up on the floor of the brooder, speaking gently, I moved my hand close to them this way and they are not as nervous as seeing the hand above them. From there, I gently put my other hand over and Viola! The brooder is nice and fresh and every chick is back to normal.
Moving forward, I will just clean sections of the brooder, working around the herd. I wanted to do that orginally, but was aware of all the dust being kicked up. Moving forward, I will not be removing them from the brooder and instead, work around the herd!
Thank you all who took the time to offer your expertise and experience. It means so much to us complete chick noobs. my number #1 personal rule is as little stress as possible.

Sounds like you've got the technique down for picking them up!

I suspect you are way overthinking the stress aspect of raising chicks. It should not be your #1 personal rule as a chicken keeper. The basics like clean, dry, food, water, warmth should be your # 1 rules!

I am on your other thread and I can see that you are super kind and caring and want to be the best chicken keeper you can be, but I say this with kindness... Try and Relax!!

Chickens are remarkably resilient animals and coping with stress is part of life and growing up. If you tiptoe around them worried you might upset them any minute, playing mozart to cover up the sound of the vacuum, and reading them poetry in case they freak out at fresh bedding, then you aren't exposing them to normal day to day changes and events that will build their resilience. Ok, I am exaggerating with the mozart and poetry, but you catch my drift!

If you have ever raised a puppy, then you know you have to socialise them when young - which means exposing them to as many assorted new experiences (potential stress factors) as possible so that they just grow up shrugging and saying "meh" when a big truck thunders past, or a barky dog passes them, or kids scream in the park.

Chickens have got to get used to you cleaning out their brooder or coop (with a broom, and gloves, and sacks of shavings and all sorts of inevitable scary movements). They've also got to get used to normal family noise, the neighbour's dog, the lawnmower, etc. Just getting on with this stuff without worrying about stressing them will also help your stress levels!

I know, it is hard when you are new to this, because it is natural to worry about doing things wrong. Just be careful that your worries don't spoil your enjoyment of keeping chickens. Spend time with them, watch them, feed them treats, and please stop focussing on reducing their stress levels as your #1 personal rule. They will be absolutely fine!!!!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Sounds like you've got the technique down for picking them up!

I suspect you are way overthinking the stress aspect of raising chicks. It should not be your #1 personal rule as a chicken keeper. The basics like clean, dry, food, water, warmth should be your # 1 rules!

I am on your other thread and I can see that you are super kind and caring and want to be the best chicken keeper you can be, but I say this with kindness... Try and Relax!!

Chickens are remarkably resilient animals and coping with stress is part of life and growing up. If you tiptoe around them worried you might upset them any minute, playing mozart to cover up the sound of the vacuum, and reading them poetry in case they freak out at fresh bedding, then you aren't exposing them to normal day to day changes and events that will build their resilience. Ok, I am exaggerating with the mozart and poetry, but you catch my drift!

If you have ever raised a puppy, then you know you have to socialise them when young - which means exposing them to as many assorted new experiences (potential stress factors) as possible so that they just grow up shrugging and saying "meh" when a big truck thunders past, or a barky dog passes them, or kids scream in the park.

Chickens have got to get used to you cleaning out their brooder or coop (with a broom, and gloves, and sacks of shavings and all sorts of inevitable scary movements). They've also got to get used to normal family noise, the neighbour's dog, the lawnmower, etc. Just getting on with this stuff without worrying about stressing them will also help your stress levels!

I know, it is hard when you are new to this, because it is natural to worry about doing things wrong. Just be careful that your worries don't spoil your enjoyment of keeping chickens. Spend time with them, watch them, feed them treats, and please stop focussing on reducing their stress levels as your #1 personal rule. They will be absolutely fine!!!!

Chicalina,
I sooo needed to hear this! So wait, the Mozart is too much? I do in fact play sounds of nature with a babbling brook in the background tho......
Oh Chicalina, i appreciate you and the time you took to set me straight. (like, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, "Pull yourself together woman!" LOL Excellent!

 

[Chicalina]

Chicalina,
I sooo needed to hear this! So wait, the Mozart is too much? I do in fact play sounds of nature with a babbling brook in the background tho......
Oh Chicalina, i appreciate you and the time you took to set me straight. (like, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, "Pull yourself together woman!" LOL Excellent!

I'm so glad I didn't offend you!

You are doing a great job being a chicken mama. Enjoy the journey. Before you know it, you'll have 20 chickens and planning your next hatch and an extension to your coop.

Babbling brook? My current chicks are growing up listening to me shout at the puppy for chewing my shoes!

 

[Ruffled Feathers]

We’re new at raising chicks and socialize them a lot. Maybe too much? It seems to have helped with them not being skittish. They are two weeks old and seem to be doing well.

We go talk to them a couple times a day so they get used to our faces and voices. They are even starting to come to us in the brooder. About once a day we pick them up for a little cuddling & and walking around on us.

Now that it’s hot out we let them out for 30-45 minutes to check out the run. The girls seem to enjoy it and it gives me a change to clean the brooder. I couldn’t imagine trying to clean it with them still in it especially if they were skittish.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chicks don't like brooders that open from the top, and human hands reaching at them from above - it triggers their fear of death from aerial predators. Looks like you figured out a better way of picking them up - very good! If you brood chicks again in the future, consider a brooder that opens from the front instead of from the top, and place it high up on a table so you can look straight across at them, not down at them. They'll be less afraid that way.

I couldn't agree more with what Chicalina said! Get them used to sounds, sights, movements, everything. Put them in a dog crate and take them outside for a walk. Put them in the back yard for a bit, near the street so they hear cars honking and trucks rolling by. Mow the lawn. They need to get desensitized to the sights and sounds of life. And handle them - a lot! Especially if you intend for them to be pet chickens and not just livestock. Lots of people have chickens that can't be caught, and that's normal because chickens are skittish by nature. However, I think it's important that you are able to catch and handle your chickens purely for safety reasons. The day will come when one of them will need help - to be rescued out of somewhere they got stuck, to be given medicine, to be quarantined, etc. You need to be able to handle them to take care of them, and it's SO much easier if they are calm and socialized and not fighting you. Easier for you, easier for them. So start working on them now while they are still young, and be persistent.

My chicks from last year were brooded inside the house, next to my young kids' bedroom. Those chicks have seen and heard some sh** Screaming and tantrums, loud toys, rough little hands grabbing them (being careful, but still, only managing preschool-level careful). The vacuum cleaner! When they went outside, I hadn't finished building their run yet. So I built it around them with all kinds of power tools, including a circular saw. The kids had hardened them to sound so much that they were completely unfazed by the construction! In fact, I had to keep them away from the drill because they wanted to peck at the spinning bit I could mow around them and they wouldn't care, they'd just wait for the grass clippings to eat. They are 1+ year old now and nothing bothers them. I can pick them up and do whatever I want. They let my kids pick them up and snuggle them. One just finished raising chicks - I could reach under her and take eggs out, later take the chicks, and she let me do whatever (broody hens often turn very protective and mean and attack anybody who dares come close, let alone touch). So trust is also very important and pays off, as a product of extensive socialization. It makes everything smoother and easier. So get the vacuum out and go snuggle those chicks!