Our broody silkie, Mellow, has hatched 2 of the 3 eggs she's been sitting on, so we have homegrown chicks for the first time. Yay! Of course, I have a hundred newbie questions now.
We brought Mellow and her nest of eggs inside after about the first week of the broody cycle, because the other chickens were messing with the nest. Mellow and her chicks/egg are in a dog crate in the garage, and she seems very content. So what happens next? After the last chick hatches, will Mellow still want to have the chicks with her? Can I keep them all in the dog crate for a while, or will Mellow want to go back to the big coop and yard and be with the other chickens? I assume it's still too cold out to put the chicks in the big coop, even with mama to keep them warm, and I have no idea how the big chickens would react to chicks either.
We have a brooder full of other chicks at the moment, they're about 3 weeks old, so I could put the babies in with them if needed. Or is that a bad idea?
Edit: Is changing every instance of the word e*g*g* to "rooster" really annoying to other people, or is it just me?
We brought Mellow and her nest of eggs inside after about the first week of the broody cycle, because the other chickens were messing with the nest. Mellow and her chicks/egg are in a dog crate in the garage, and she seems very content. So what happens next? After the last chick hatches, will Mellow still want to have the chicks with her? Can I keep them all in the dog crate for a while, or will Mellow want to go back to the big coop and yard and be with the other chickens? I assume it's still too cold out to put the chicks in the big coop, even with mama to keep them warm, and I have no idea how the big chickens would react to chicks either.
We have a brooder full of other chicks at the moment, they're about 3 weeks old, so I could put the babies in with them if needed. Or is that a bad idea?
Edit: Is changing every instance of the word e*g*g* to "rooster" really annoying to other people, or is it just me?
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