Finally getting my first chicks!!! Advice?

[amandarey20]

If a chicken is being broody and there's no eggs or the eggs aren't going to hatch how do you get her to stop. Or does she just soon forget about it?

 

[amandarey20]

What kind of treats can you give babies as well? I don't even have mine yet and I can tell their going to be spoiled rotten

 

[AlienChick]

Heckel's Hens :

. . . hubby made a feeder. Just a couple of small boards nailed like a trough, with a small layer of wire over the top to keep them from stepping in it. . .

.

I love this idea!​

 

[FMAFarms]

There are breeds of chickens that tend to be more broody than others. Silkies are very broody and make great egg setters. I don't recall BRs being known for their broodiness, so I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. The more active, flighty birds may squawk and flap when you collect their eggs. The more docile birds will allow you to collect the eggs they are setting, but you best collect them each day or you'll have a bit of rotten egg issues to deal with or, worse, the hen might peck at the egg to see how far along it is incubating. That might result in a cracked shell, and when the insides come out and she discovers how tasty the yolk is, she might start pecking at the other eggs. Be sure to collect your eggs each morning to prevent egg eating. As for treats for your little chicks... you might want to visit a pet store that has bird toys if you'd like for them to have a toy to occupy them in the brooder. Or, if you're in a warmer climate (vs a snow-covered one right now!) you might find some wood for them to practice their pecking. If you find a ladybug or grasshopper, put it into the brooder and see what the chicks do. Greens, alfalfa sprouts, some fresh corn kernels. Not too many treats, though, because they need the protein mixture and grit that is in their starter feed, and if they get hooked on the taste of treats they may start refusing their feed. Enjoy your baby chicks!