My chicks are due to hatch August 5th. I have a couple last minute questions....hopefully I can get my thoughts into an order that makes sense!
Mama hen is in a nesting box that is 10-12 inches off the ground. Last year when she hatched out some chicks, she was in the same box/place. When her 2 chicks hatched out, they kept falling out of the box so I moved her and the remaining 2 eggs into a ground level nesting box, but she ended up abandoning the eggs. (1 of which had a fully developed chick in it.) I'm hoping I can avoid that this time. I'm going to get a single-nest nesting box that I can move broody in to that is lower to the ground, and I'm wondering if I should move her before or after the first chicks hatch. She does like to get out and run around at night, and I was thinking I could move the eggs into the new nesting box while she is out so that she might not notice/care. Also, should I have the nesting box at the same height it is now until the chicks hatch and then put it at ground level, or put it at ground level right away?
My chickens got CRD last winter, and so, obviously they now are carriers. Mama hen was one of the chickens who got it the worst, so I KNOW she has in her. I used VetRX to treat/prevent it, and I am wondering if I should use it with the new chicks right away or wait to see if they actually get it, as it seems it doesn't affect all chickens. I'm leaning towards using it right away, as VetRX is a more natural remedy and I don't think it will hurt anything.
Mama hen is in a nesting box that is 10-12 inches off the ground. Last year when she hatched out some chicks, she was in the same box/place. When her 2 chicks hatched out, they kept falling out of the box so I moved her and the remaining 2 eggs into a ground level nesting box, but she ended up abandoning the eggs. (1 of which had a fully developed chick in it.) I'm hoping I can avoid that this time. I'm going to get a single-nest nesting box that I can move broody in to that is lower to the ground, and I'm wondering if I should move her before or after the first chicks hatch. She does like to get out and run around at night, and I was thinking I could move the eggs into the new nesting box while she is out so that she might not notice/care. Also, should I have the nesting box at the same height it is now until the chicks hatch and then put it at ground level, or put it at ground level right away?
My chickens got CRD last winter, and so, obviously they now are carriers. Mama hen was one of the chickens who got it the worst, so I KNOW she has in her. I used VetRX to treat/prevent it, and I am wondering if I should use it with the new chicks right away or wait to see if they actually get it, as it seems it doesn't affect all chickens. I'm leaning towards using it right away, as VetRX is a more natural remedy and I don't think it will hurt anything.
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