Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[Victoria-nola]

Ok, thank you Bruce and Blooie for more info!!!! Thank you to all who have responded! Thank you for the encouragement. I candled last night and 4 eggs were indeed still clear so I removed them and I guess we'll bury them for lack of a better way to dispose. That leaves 18 incubating. Tomorrow is 14th day. Thank you for helping ensure I am ready when they come. I love BackYardChickens, always there for me from the beginning four years ago.

 

[bruceha2000]

Ok, thank you Bruce and Blooie for more info!!!! Thank you to all who have responded! Thank you for the encouragement. I candled last night and 4 eggs were indeed still clear so I removed them and I guess we'll bury them for lack of a better way to dispose. That leaves 18 incubating. Tomorrow is 14th day. Thank you for helping ensure I am ready when they come. I love BackYardChickens, always there for me from the beginning four years ago.

Bury? Cook them for your chickens. Yeah I know it sounds weird and cannibalistic to us humans but chickens will eat a broken egg in half a heartbeat. If they are clear, isn't that the same as any other non fertile egg? Why waste?

 

[dyorto]

I am working on making my own feeder with less spill and not have to fill daily. The sealant has to dry and then I can test it out. My chicks are 7 1/2 weeks and I'm almost out of the big bag of chick feed. Can they be switched to regular feed now?

 

[junebuggena]

I am working on making my own feeder with less spill and not have to fill daily. The sealant has to dry and then I can test it out. My chicks are 7 1/2 weeks and I'm almost out of the big bag of chick feed. Can they be switched to regular feed now?

You can switch to grower or flock raiser, but they are still much too young for layer.

 

[dyorto]

You can switch to grower or flock raiser, but they are still much too young for layer.

Great. Thank you

 

[aart]

Quote: I decided today to take down the partition wall and force the issue...hopefully I won't regret it, but I figured it's better they get used to each other now than wait until they are older and bigger. One hen was pacing the wall this morning, and the chicks usually 'hide' behind the wall most the day.
Will be interesting to see what happens. I distracted them with mowing(chicks didn't like THAT) and the bestowal of some grass clippings in the runs.
One hen went to small run(the pacer from earlier..and often bulliest to chicks) but saw no problems.

 

[aart]

You can switch to grower or flock raiser, but they are still much too young for layer.

Ditto Dat^^^
Starter/grower/all flock is my regular feed.

I like to feed a flock raiser/grower/finisher 20% protein crumble to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Bury? Cook them for your chickens. Yeah I know it sounds weird and cannibalistic to us humans but chickens will eat a broken egg in half a heartbeat. If they are clear, isn't that the same as any other non fertile egg? Why waste?

I felt like because they've been held at hatching temps for 2 weeks they would be a bit weird to deal with. I have never given my chooks cooked egg but I've read over and over that it's a good and even therapeutic food for sick birds and in general.So ok, I'll cook them for the girls. Thanks.

 

[Beekissed]

Bury? Cook them for your chickens. Yeah I know it sounds weird and cannibalistic to us humans but chickens will eat a broken egg in half a heartbeat. If they are clear, isn't that the same as any other non fertile egg? Why waste?

Cook? Why not just throw them to the chickens and let them eat them raw, at their most nutritious? I do that or just hand them to the dogs....good nutrition and not to be wasted.

 

[bruceha2000]

Quote:
Assuming, of course, that they don't smell or look bad when you crack them open

Quote:
If they are the only birds one has I would agree but my 2015 chicks started THEMSELVES on layer feed at about 2-3 weeks even though they had chick starter available 24x7 in the brooder pen that only they could access via a small portal. At least half of the chick starter I bought ended up in the bin of layer feed because no one was eating it. They suffered no ill consequences of having a higher calcium content. And even with layer feed one needs to have oyster shell out. All of my laying birds dig into that bin but the chicks never did until they were close to lay. Somehow they know.

@dyorto I'm trying to envision how you won't end up with a lot of aging inaccessible feed in the middle, corners and along the "back" side.