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

[COChix]

You got extra eggs because other hens are laying in her nest, which you've probably figured out by now. If you have a space separate I'd put her there so that it doesn't happen again. I'd not make her come off the nest for food and water either...they know when they need to get off the nest and don't need us to make them. Each broody is different and they act different about such things at different times during the brood...interrupting her natural instincts is just a waste of time. I'd just make food and water available nearby and leave her to the job. You could eliminate all the clears but it's likely she will eat those anyway as time goes along if she's a good broody. If you don't want to take that chance, then go ahead and candle and remove.

Ok so I will leave her alone and right now I don't have a space for her to be separate from the flock. I could set up a dog carrier in the main coop, but figure she might be fine in the current nest box. It is one of our lower and smaller nest boxes so it is more out of the way. If I didn't have our littles in the small coop, I would have her brood in there. I don't think I can split it up and have her in there currently. I will watch for her when she is off the nest and mark the eggs she has just to assure that we don't end up with more in her nest. I will let her have the 10 eggs and see what she does as far as eating the clears. I am hoping she will be a good broody.

I'm out of ideas for saving this Legbar chick. Sunny is eight days old but no bigger than the day she arrived in the mail. She won't eat the chick feed, tried fermenting it with no results, no longer is interested in the tofu. She got excited about eating several meal worms a few hours ago, but she doesn't seem to have the energy for even those now. She seems to be losing weight, if anything. He neck is skinny and eyes are beginning to bug out due to her losing what fat she had under her skin. If the Corid was fighting cocci, it seems she would be getting better, not worse. I am afraid I have a chick that is simply a victim of failure to thrive, and it's inevitable I will lose her.

Aww darn, I was rooting for her. Keep us posted.

 

[maybaby45]

Oh I was hoping she was making a turn for the better!


So nighttime temps here are 68, I can move these girls outside with MHP no problem right? I actually think with 9 together they would need less heat outside than with the A/C on inside. I guess I could bring them in at night but Eleanor my RIR is flying around in the brooder and I would hate to wake up with a loose chick in my house.

 

[Blooie]

I'm out of ideas for saving this Legbar chick. Sunny is eight days old but no bigger than the day she arrived in the mail. She won't eat the chick feed, tried fermenting it with no results, no longer is interested in the tofu. She got excited about eating several meal worms a few hours ago, but she doesn't seem to have the energy for even those now.

She seems to be losing weight, if anything. He neck is skinny and eyes are beginning to bug out due to her losing what fat she had under her skin. If the Corid was fighting cocci, it seems she would be getting better, not worse.

I am afraid I have a chick that is simply a victim of failure to thrive, and it's inevitable I will lose her.

Oh, no! I was so hoping she'd continue to rally. Maybe she still will - I was ready to cull Scout one night and decided to wait until I was thinking with my head and not my heart. Glad I did - he was a different chick the next day. But you are there, and I'm not, so I'm not seeing her and holding her.

Oh I was hoping she was making a turn for the better!


So nighttime temps here are 68, I can move these girls outside with MHP no problem right? I actually think with 9 together they would need less heat outside than with the A/C on inside. I guess I could bring them in at night but Eleanor my RIR is flying around in the brooder and I would hate to wake up with a loose chick in my house.

I would certainly think so. I brooded mine outside from teeny tiny and it was wayyyy colder than that. Just see that they don't get so overexcited by the new environment that they forget where MHP is! They shouldn't need to come in at night as long as they have the heating pad.

 

[lazy gardener]

Azygous, I've been following the issue with your little legbar. So sorry she's not improving. It seemed that she had turned the corner. One thought comes to my mind, and I don't know why. But, have you given her any soil from your yard? I'm thinking that if she's destined to die anyway, you might just as well try to boost her system with some good old soil "flora".

 

[Beekissed]

Oh I was hoping she was making a turn for the better!


So nighttime temps here are 68, I can move these girls outside with MHP no problem right? I actually think with 9 together they would need less heat outside than with the A/C on inside. I guess I could bring them in at night but Eleanor my RIR is flying around in the brooder and I would hate to wake up with a loose chick in my house.

Sure can! I've had them outside in 40* weather with a HP brooder and no worries. And I mean really outside, no wooden walls to protect them.

 

[aart]

So nighttime temps here are 68, I can move these girls outside with MHP no problem right? I actually think with 9 together they would need less heat outside than with the A/C on inside. I guess I could bring them in at night but Eleanor my RIR is flying around in the brooder and I would hate to wake up with a loose chick in my house.

It can depend on how old they are and what ambient temp they're used to....too big of temp swing as too young an age could throw them for a loop.

I had a broody hatch 7 of 7 this winter, luckily hatch day was heat wave of about 38F, but we had a low of -12F when they were just a week old.

 

[perilloux5]

I'm a bit late to the thread here, and just didn't have time to go through all the posts. I made a sort of cave with a little wire shelf, a heating pad, and a towel. I have 5 two-week old chicks and 2 four-week old chicks. I've been using a 250watt red brooder light, but I have it so high now to drop the temp, I feel ridiculous wasting all that electricity.

Just a question. I put it in today (but still have a lower wattage light shining in because being without a light freaks them out), and so far they just lay on top of it. It's not bad if they do that, right?? I have a thermometer on top, and it says it's about 82 on top. They seem to love it, but I just want to make sure the heat on their feet isn't bad for them. Weird question, I know. But I'd love to switch to this full time and then slowly take the light away at night. They're in a dog crate in the garage. It's pretty warm in there, maybe in the mid 70s most of the time.

Thanks for a great idea!

Having a light on during the day is fine, but you need to turn it off at night to get them used to roosting without a light. As for the heat they will adjust themselves for what they need as long as you have a heat source available.

 

[COChix]

@azygous was just curious how Sunny is doing this am?

 

[azygous]

She's still about the same. Came out from her cave, drank some water, looked at her FF and went back into her cave.

I'll try the sod. They were all in the run with the adults, same sand as the adults have been living on and in, so I was thinking it might have what the dirt outside of the run has, but I realize there are living microbes in soil, so they will all get a hunk of dirt with grass growing in it this morning to mess around with.

 

[COChix]

She's still about the same. Came out from her cave, drank some water, looked at her FF and went back into her cave.

I'll try the sod. They were all in the run with the adults, same sand as the adults  have been living on and in, so I was thinking it might have what the dirt outside of the run has, but I realize there are living microbes in soil, so they will all get a hunk of dirt with grass growing in it this morning to mess around with.

Good to hear and our babies go nuts when you give them sod, they love it.