Ever had a winter broody?

[tarutgers]

There is peeping under one of my two broody hens!!!! Whoo Hoo! Now what do I do. The heat lamp we have over the brooder pen is keeping the water liquid but it is very cold in the barn, below 20. They are out of the wind completely and the humidity is below 50%. We live in Minnesota and we are first timers, I would have never believed they would have hatched out when it was 14 below last week. Help??

 

[PrairieChickens]

There is peeping under one of my two broody hens!!!! Whoo Hoo! Now what do I do. The heat lamp we have over the brooder pen is keeping the water liquid but it is very cold in the barn, below 20. They are out of the wind completely and the humidity is below 50%. We live in Minnesota and we are first timers, I would have never believed they would have hatched out when it was 14 below last week. Help??

If mama was able to keep them warm IN the eggs, she'll be able to keep them warm now that they're out. They'll just squeeze back under her whenever they feel chilled and get nice and toasty again.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If mama was able to keep them warm IN the eggs, she'll be able to keep them warm now that they're out. They'll just squeeze back under her whenever they feel chilled and get nice and toasty again.

x2

Just keep the water unfrozen, food dish filled, and all of them safe from intruders. Mom will do the rest.
Also be sure babies can't get themselves outside into the cold (around a blind corner, under the fence with a hole, etc.).

Lady of McCamley

 

[tarutgers]

Thank you Prairie Chicken and Lady of Mcamely! Words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. I saw 3 little faces tonight when checking on their food and water. My visit was brief as I have the other broody hen sitting on the other side of a particleboard divider of the broody pen. She was sitting on 13 eggs so I don't know how many more there are. The second hen is sitting on 10 and should start hatching Wednesday. Of all things I now have hen #3 that has been sitting tight on 4 eggs for 3 days back in the coop area. Go figure. Do have a question: my chickens were purchased from Murray McMurray and all were given Makers and Coccidia vaccines, should mom and chicks get medicated chick starter? All my fowl are on Flock 20% protein crumble I get from the local elevator for $10.48 for 50lbs. I supplement layers with oyster shell.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thank you Prairie Chicken and Lady of Mcamely! Words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. I saw 3 little faces tonight when checking on their food and water. My visit was brief as I have the other broody hen sitting on the other side of a particleboard divider of the broody pen. She was sitting on 13 eggs so I don't know how many more there are. The second hen is sitting on 10 and should start hatching Wednesday. Of all things I now have hen #3 that has been sitting tight on 4 eggs for 3 days back in the coop area. Go figure. Do have a question: my chickens were purchased from Murray McMurray and all were given Makers and Coccidia vaccines, should mom and chicks get medicated chick starter? All my fowl are on Flock 20% protein crumble I get from the local elevator for $10.48 for 50lbs. I supplement layers with oyster shell.

I personally would put the chicks on 18% chick feed as 20% protein can be too high...chicks can have growth issues if they are grown on too high of protein content for their breed as they will grow too quickly. 20% is what they give broilers to bring them to table in 8 weeks. That is too much for layer type chicks. (Game breeds typically need the 20% protein for optimum growth per my understanding...and a few other specialized breeds).

Have you ever had a coccidiosis scare? If so, then I'd put the chicks and mums on medicated chick start (Amprolin) otherwise you have some options, imho.

A momma hen will pass along some of the local coccidi from her stool to the baby chicks (as, uh, the babies are running through her poo and getting some of it internally). If all is well (ie they are all healthy) the babies will develop a natural immunity to it slowly over time. It is my understanding that the chicks have to be in contact with the soil/feces of the farm to develop the immunity to that strain of coccidi (every farm can be different which is why farmer Brown bringing his muddy boots to your farm can cause problems in your flock while his is healthy). The medicated chick feed works only if there has been soil/feces contact due to how it works.

I used to always put chicks on medicated starter as a matter of course, but they were feed store chicks under heat lamps. However, with my first brood hatched by a broody I had one of the chicks display odd toe walking behavior. It was way too early for Mareks, and there was no sign of Coccidiosis (I had never had a problem with it on my property to date). I then read up on how Amprolin (the medicated ingredient) treats for coccidiosis...it interferes with the coccidi bacteria's ability to uptake vitamin B and literally starves the bacteria. My daughter who is a Vet Tech saw my little toe walking chick and said at that age (first 2 weeks of life) it is usually a vitamin deficiency. I stopped the medicated chick starter and put the broody chicks on Vitamins/Electrolytes and Probiotics...a stronger dosage to begin with. The chick showed noticeable improvement within the first 24 hours and was cured within the week.

For my June broody hatches I did not put the chicks ever on medicated feed and had no problems.

So then I made a new rule...don't put new chicks on medicated starter due to this experience. Enter in September foster chicks (two EE's from the feed store) which were placed with my broody Silkie at a few days age to foster as her own. About 6 weeks into things I noticed some very suspicious looking poo...very watery and bloody, typical of coccidiosis. Fortunately I had been a little concerned with the idea of fosters coming into my property without any protection (as they would have started from different soil) so I had recently purchased medicated feed and had it on hand which I had just started to give them. Since it was early the feed itself did the trick and the couple of days of weird poo ended....although since I did not have the poo tested it could have been simply an odd quirk from environmental factors or the recent change of feed.... but it was very suspicious. I had never had that kind of frank blood in poo with chicks before.

So what am I now going to do? I am not going to put broody hatched chicks on medicated feed as a matter of course but have it on hand at the first sign of trouble (with the understanding that Corid in the water is the only cure if the feed doesn't do the trick right off). Typically the broody's poo gives them their first gentle introduction. I also keep the chicks on vitamins/electrolytes with probiotics. Other than the foster chick scare, I've done well. We'll see how my next hatch does.

My experiences
Lady of McCamley

EDITED to add: wow 20% protein crumble for $10.48 for 50lbs. You are fortunate! I pay $20 for 20% layer pellet (Albers although I prefer Purina...but it's even higher and hard to get at 20%)

 

[Indigosands]

We have 5 babies as of this morning, and 3 more def. pipped/zipping that I can tell without upsetting mama too much. They all look great, active and healty. Looks like a very good possibility of a 100% hatch!

 

[PrairieChickens]

I have to say, I love just about everything about having chickens, but the feeling when new little chicky faces start appearing under a broody mama is by far the best thing yet about having them!

 

[tamilee]

I have a orpington that went broody. I placed 2 eggs under her and they should have hatched on dec13. I live in Vermont where it is cold. we brought Mimsy ( the hen) inside the house. 1 egg has done nothing.the other egg has visable cracks in it. this is my first year have chickens and a broody. The one egg that is doing nothing was left alone couple of times. how long should we leave the eggs under Mimsy before we say they were failures? sorry for all the questions I am clueless. this was to have been my nieces but I now take care of them.

 

[kmollyhughes]

Mama Marans with her babies. When she was sitting the high temps of the day were only in the 20's and the lowest was -12. She did fine. When they eggs got close I pulled her and two broody silkies into our garage (unheated) for the hatch. She ended up with four and our silkies are co-parenting 4 more chicks. They were born on thanksgiving.

 

[texgardengal]

Hi Tamilee. i wish I had some good advice for you but I'm new to this too. I had a broody hen

that just hatched a third chickie out of 7 eggs. My two hens together layed the eggs but by the time I realized she was broody and finally got the eggs marked, after getting pecked a few times, we had 7 eggs. The first two hatched at about the same time. But, one didnt make it. I think mom sat on it.....Anyway, I was kind of in the same boat as you, waiting to see if I should throw the eggs out or continue to let her sit on them. Today a third hatched. This one seems to be doing ok so far. I do know she never left the eggs more than once a day, and only for a minute or two...just long enough to get a drink, a bite to eat and to poop. Then she was back on the nest. It was very cold here in Texas this month. I was really worried, having a broody hen in the coldest weather we have had in years... We had a week of ice on the ground (not normal for Texas) and temps in the 20's but she seemed to do fine with no help from me. Her coop is plywood with a thick layer of hay on the ground but is not heated.