- May 25, 2019
- 46
- 64
- 119
I’ve found myself in a bit of an odd predicament.
On April 1, I got 9 two-day old chicks (including 2 guinea keets) and gave them to a broody. I also put fertile eggs in an incubator about a week later with plans to give them to another broody. However, none of the eggs hatched, and I felt bad for my chick-less broody. So, I bought her 6 chicks which were about one month younger than the first ones - currently about 1 month with the older ones being 2 months.
When I bought the second batch of chicks to give to the second broody, she hated them. Even when I put them under her after dark, she was pulling them out by their legs. Complete opposite of my first broody. I was worried she’d kill them, so I took them from her and gave them to the first broody who happily took them in with open wings. The older chicks didn’t bother them, and up until a few days ago, they were one big happy family.
But now, my amazing broody mom is done playing house. Over the course of a few days, she stopped calling the chicks to her but still slept with them. Late last week, she decided no more co-sleeping. The first night she tried to sleep away from them, I moved her in with them. She wasn’t happy and pecked them, so I let her free. Days 2 and 3, they did fine without her. Day 4, we came home late to find some of the chicks scattered about outside the crate and one chick is completely missing
Since then, I have supervised their bedtime routine.
Now, besides the guineas which are bigger and crazier, the chicks sleep in the crate they were brooded in (in the coop) together at night and hang out with the flock during the day. Even with the little ones being only 4 weeks, it has been fine because night time temps have been in the 70’s, and they huddle together, sometimes even spreading out because of the heat.
TL;DR: My younger, 4 weekers, though they have lived outside their whole lives, I’m worried about with the upcoming shift in temps. It has been in the upper 80’s during the day and 70’s at night. Tomorrow it is supposed to drop to the 50’s at night. One of the younger chicks has been growing much slower than the others and only has some wing feathers so far. Do you think they will huddle and be fine, or should I put a heat lamp on? I also don’t want to overheat the fully feathered ones who were panting today with it being in the 80’s.
On April 1, I got 9 two-day old chicks (including 2 guinea keets) and gave them to a broody. I also put fertile eggs in an incubator about a week later with plans to give them to another broody. However, none of the eggs hatched, and I felt bad for my chick-less broody. So, I bought her 6 chicks which were about one month younger than the first ones - currently about 1 month with the older ones being 2 months.
When I bought the second batch of chicks to give to the second broody, she hated them. Even when I put them under her after dark, she was pulling them out by their legs. Complete opposite of my first broody. I was worried she’d kill them, so I took them from her and gave them to the first broody who happily took them in with open wings. The older chicks didn’t bother them, and up until a few days ago, they were one big happy family.
But now, my amazing broody mom is done playing house. Over the course of a few days, she stopped calling the chicks to her but still slept with them. Late last week, she decided no more co-sleeping. The first night she tried to sleep away from them, I moved her in with them. She wasn’t happy and pecked them, so I let her free. Days 2 and 3, they did fine without her. Day 4, we came home late to find some of the chicks scattered about outside the crate and one chick is completely missing
Since then, I have supervised their bedtime routine.Now, besides the guineas which are bigger and crazier, the chicks sleep in the crate they were brooded in (in the coop) together at night and hang out with the flock during the day. Even with the little ones being only 4 weeks, it has been fine because night time temps have been in the 70’s, and they huddle together, sometimes even spreading out because of the heat.
TL;DR: My younger, 4 weekers, though they have lived outside their whole lives, I’m worried about with the upcoming shift in temps. It has been in the upper 80’s during the day and 70’s at night. Tomorrow it is supposed to drop to the 50’s at night. One of the younger chicks has been growing much slower than the others and only has some wing feathers so far. Do you think they will huddle and be fine, or should I put a heat lamp on? I also don’t want to overheat the fully feathered ones who were panting today with it being in the 80’s.
