Hi from Scotland

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from just a bit further south.

Chicks being broody reared, can easily cope outside in the current weather/temp and many people even have broodies rear chicks in the coop in the depths of winter with no additional heat and some in colder conditions than we get here in the UK.
It is healthier (for you and) for broody chicks to be outside in the coop and run rather than.in the house. Their immune system is strengthened by exposure to the elements. I have a mixed flock including cockerels and feisty leghorns and I find it is much better to raise them within the flock as try to integrate them later. The broody will either stand her ground with any hen that tries to come near her chicks or herd the chicks out of the way. You can make a low shelter within the run where the chicks and possibly the broody, since she is a bantam, can get under but not the larger birds. I have a cage that I chock up on bricks. I put the chick crumb in there and the chicks can get it but not the adult birds. I also put water in there, so they have everything they need. The chicks then have a sanctuary to take refuge in, if any of the other birds do give them a hard time.

I hope you are more fortunate than me with your chicks...my current ones are 5 weeks old tomorrow and almost certainly all cockerels

Woop woop and Two Crows are right. If the broody has been separated from the flock for more than a few days, you will be best to reintroduce them in a secure cage within the coop for a few days before you chock it up on bricks. Chicks can jump and fly surprisingly quickly, so I wouldn't worry too much about them getting into the coop (as long as there is some shelter for them in the run with the broody if they can't make it.... but you can easily make a ramp for them.... just keep an eye on them the first few days to make sure they can manage it. It really doesn't take long for them to learn

It's great that your whole family are able to share and enjoy this experience.

Good luck with them

Barbara

 

[Scottish-Hen]

We don't have a run for our chickens. They are totally 'free range'. That's my biggest worry about putting them outside. Either getting lost, Not getting into the coop or being picked off by predators.

They are all fully feathered and are now 3 weeks old. Anyone know how to work out gender?

We have sawdust in the cage - assuming that's ok (although mama teaching them to forage ensures most of it ends up on the floor!

Trying to think where else we could move them to so they are out of the livingroom but there is nowhere. We live in a teeny cottage.

Looking at coops & runs for them...just till they are big enough to fend off prey (we've had Hawks trying to make off with a kitten once... Hawk lost!)
I really like this one but it's pricey (for us)
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/131491232504

There is also this one but will chicks be able to get up that steep ramp?
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/131491232504

This is another one that's smaller but the plan is to use it as a 'nursery' coop and is the best price wise.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=121446460189

Thoughts?


Scottish Hen

 

[Scottish-Hen]

Hi Barbara... Where about are you? We're just north of Lauder.


Scottish Hen

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again

I'm on the north west border of County Durham with Northumberland in a roman village called Ebchester. My chickens and horses are actually kept on the site of the roman fort, in the centre of the village, but I live on the outskirts.

There shouldn't be any more battery hens here in the UK now, so I'm assuming any you get are ex commercial barn egg producers..... Not saying they don't need a good retirement home too but it's important to note that poultry farming is at least moving in the right direction, albeit very slowly. The local battery farmer went out of the poultry business rather than invest in more sheds and equipment. He is still farming cattle, sheep and a little arable though.
I guess there is a lot of "wastage" from the free range farms too though to rehome or as you say, the majority go for cat food. It's something we don't really think about, but it is a consequence of our need to have cheap mass produced food. It's easy to blame the farmer, but if you have ever bought battery or even just commercially produced eggs, then we were all complicit in it.
It's great that you are giving them a retirement home though and many continue to produce eggs at an impressive rate after they have got their feathers back in. My friend used to get them from the back door of the battery farm too, so I have seen how pathetic they are and what transformation can be achieved..

How old are your chicks and how many have you got. I bet they are cute as buttons! Mine are just coming out of the ugly, dinosaur stage and starting to look like mini chickens. Do you have a plan for the cockerels that result from the hatch? I learned the hard way, that you can't leave them within the flock once they reach adolescence..... my first batches last year were terrorising my hens. Two of my favourite hens were being targeted by them so badly, they were starting to lose the will to live, so the lads had to be rounded up and put in a bachelor pad, awaiting a dinner date! I have 2 adult cocks left within the flock and that works fine, although they have spats every now and then.
These 3 chicks of mine have another 8 weeks or so free ranging with the flock before they join the bachelor group and I guess I need to make some space in there for them. I really dread killing them but it needs to be done. After that it's just the time to pluck and dress them. I used to help pluck chickens at my mother's friend's farm at Christmas time when I was little, whilst Mam dressed them, so I have that experience to fall back on..... anyway.... I'm rambling,,,,,,, and you are probably shocked at the thought of killing and eating them when your chicks are still so small and cute right now.... but it is important to figure out in advance what you plan to do.

Anyway, got to crack on and get some work done as coffee break is over.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Scottish-Hen]

We have never bought anything other than free range eggs and of course we now we have our own supply.

We've just bought the 'nursery' run - http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=271869205825

So hoping it should be good enough for them to get used to the outdoors, be safe and get them out the house.

Mama hen hasn't left these chick at all yet. It's quite funny watching them trying to fit under her now... There are wee bums sticking out. I need to go read up on the links posted earlier so I'm a bit more clued up.

I'm hoping the other hen manages to hatch her clutch because I missed these chicks hatching as I was in hospital with sepsis and getting a nephrectomy lol.

Ttyl


Scottish Hen

 

[Scottish-Hen]

How old are your chicks and how many have you got. I bet they are cute as buttons! Mine are just coming out of the ugly, dinosaur stage and starting to look like mini chickens. Do you have a plan for the cockerels that result from the hatch? I learned the hard way, that you can't leave them within the flock once they reach adolescence..... my first batches last year were terrorising my hens. Two of my favourite hens were being targeted by them so badly, they were starting to lose the will to live, so the lads had to be rounded up and put in a bachelor pad, awaiting a dinner date! I have 2 adult cocks left within the flock and that works fine, although they have spats every now and then.
These 3 chicks of mine have another 8 weeks or so free ranging with the flock before they join the bachelor group and I guess I need to make some space in there for them. I really dread killing them but it needs to be done. After that it's just the time to pluck and dress them. I used to help pluck chickens at my mother's friend's farm at Christmas time when I was little, whilst Mam dressed them, so I have that experience to fall back on..... anyway.... I'm rambling,,,,,,, and you are probably shocked at the thought of killing and eating them when your chicks are still so small and cute right now.... but it is important to figure out in advance what you plan to do.

Anyway, got to crack on and get some work done as coffee break is over.

Best wishes

Barbara

We've got 9 3 week old chicks and I've no idea what to about any boys in the mix. We currently have 2 bantam cockerels who have taken their time but slowly Horton used to each other... No aggression on either part, just kept their distance. The most cockerels we had at any one time was 3. I know for a fact that none of my birds could be eaten by us (or even killed) it would break my heart. I mean, I eat chicken, love it... But chicken doesn't come from the same chickens we have.... It comes from the shops just like that... Never were really real birds lalalalala.... (If I say it often enough I believe it lol! I know.... Pathetic! Even my 9 year old twins deal with better than me!) I had a bad experience growing up... I used to help at a friend of my dads small holding and each Saturday if get to go help feed the animals... There was this huge Turkey who I called Terrance who followed me around and sat beside me when I had my juice and he used to run up to me whenever I arrived. We were inseparable.... Till I came home on the last day of school at Christmas time and Terrance was on the table ready to be cooked for Christmas dinner. I didn't eat dinner that year and I haven't eaten Turkey in the 30 years since so the idea of taking out one of my birds is too much for me! However there are a lot of folks who swap birds or look for cockerels here to reduce inbreeding in the Borders so if probably pop them up for adoption and hope they go to a good home. I know that they are not cross breeds and for some reason folks love pure breed bantams. Fingers crossed they are mostly girls. At what age can you tell and how do you tell? Here's one I don't think I've shared yet.. This is Irn Bru (Bruey for short - due to the ginger!!)

Scottish Hen

 

[nj2wv]

welcome to BYC !!