Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[robyn8]

Were adding chicks and also have a mama that hatched some this week and want to run my game plan by you wise folks

.

We have 3 hens all about 10 mos. an 8x8 coop 8x16 run. Do not currently free range. We have about 12 feet of roosting bars and will be adding about 3 ft more. We also have a 4ft dog kennel in the coop that has wood on top of that the current hens sleep on. I scrap off the poop daily.

Mama hen is in the dog cage with her 3 chicks hatched earlier this week. I was going to leave them there till they 2 weeks old and then let them out with mama and our 2 other hens. I plan to have their feeder and waterer in the coop. The big girls feeder and waterer is outside.

I'm getting 4 new chicks next week and plan to keep the garage for a week till mamas chicks are 2 weeks old. Then I plan to finish brooding the purchases chicks in the dog kennel in the coop. I plan to utilize "panic rooms" to integrate them once they are off their heat source.

Does this all sound ok? I'm mostly worried about letting mama and her chicks free in the coop and run. I'm worried they will get lost. Mama is doing great with them though so I have no real reason to worry.

 

[trailrider330]

Were adding chicks and also have a mama that hatched some this week and want to run my game plan by you wise folks

.

We have 3 hens all about 10 mos. an 8x8 coop 8x16 run. Do not currently free range. We have about 12 feet of roosting bars and will be adding about 3 ft more. We also have a 4ft dog kennel in the coop that has wood on top of that the current hens sleep on. I scrap off the poop daily.

Mama hen is in the dog cage with her 3 chicks hatched earlier this week. I was going to leave them there till they 2 weeks old and then let them out with mama and our 2 other hens. I plan to have their feeder and waterer in the coop. The big girls feeder and waterer is outside.

I'm getting 4 new chicks next week and plan to keep the garage for a week till mamas chicks are 2 weeks old. Then I plan to finish brooding the purchases chicks in the dog kennel in the coop. I plan to utilize "panic rooms" to integrate them once they are off their heat source.

Does this all sound ok? I'm mostly worried about letting mama and her chicks free in the coop and run. I'm worried they will get lost. Mama is doing great with them though so I have no real reason to worry.

I typically start letting my broody hens and their chicks free range in the yard with my flock when they are about 2 weeks old. I do so for a short bit of time while I stand watch and gradually increase their time while decreasing the amount of time I am within sight. The hen and chicks always come back to their own space at night on their own. Eventually, my broody hens will choose to roost in the coop with her flockmates, along with their chicks (typically around the 5-6 week mark). I have not ever housed a broody hen with chicks in the same coop/pen as my other birds until mama hen shows me she is ready to have them join the flock 24/7 when chicks are around 5-6 weeks. Perhaps someone has other experiences regarding younger chicks being housed with the entire flock.

 

[mrcush]

Has anyone dealt with a prolapsed vent? One of our eldest hens has one. I did look it up on here and found soaking her in epsom salt and trying to push it back in was a common solution. I'm just wondering if it's worth it to try. She is old and hasn't laid a egg in almost a year. Our only other solution s to cull. Thoughts?

 

[RaZ]

How's your mom doing, RaZ? I hope she has a peaceful passing. It's really hard to go through this transition. My heart goes out to you.


Welcome to all the newbies!

Mom is in hospice now. They have her pain managed and she is comfortable. She still has problems with her breathing and that is pretty scary for her. But all things considered, she seems to be doing quite well. Unfortunately it is just a matter of time now.

I typically start letting my broody hens and their chicks free range in the yard with my flock when they are about 2 weeks old. I do so for a short bit of time while I stand watch and gradually increase their time while decreasing the amount of time I am within sight. The hen and chicks always come back to their own space at night on their own. Eventually, my broody hens will choose to roost in the coop with her flockmates, along with their chicks (typically around the 5-6 week mark). I have not ever housed a broody hen with chicks in the same coop/pen as my other birds until mama hen shows me she is ready to have them join the flock 24/7 when chicks are around 5-6 weeks. Perhaps someone has other experiences regarding younger chicks being housed with the entire flock.

I've let my broody hens stay with the rest of the flock during incubation and introduction phase. This year was a bit different. Broody hen at the end of February...picked up a few chicks from TSC on March 1. I slipped the littles under her in the middle of the afternoon and she took them right away. I did put a heat lamp in the coop but we had that power outage for a week. Mama hen took it all in stride and had the babies out within a couple of days. So basically they have been with the mature birds from Day 1. No problems with integration.

Maybe I've been lucky. Last year (perhaps the year before) I had co-broody hens share and hatch fertile eggs I got as CS. Another hen hatched fertile duck eggs. All 3 remained with the greater collective and all littles were assimilated just fine.

 

[WalnutHill]

Mom is in hospice now. They have her pain managed and she is comfortable. She still has problems with her breathing and that is pretty scary for her. But all things considered, she seems to be doing quite well. Unfortunately it is just a matter of time now.

I'm sorry, RaZ. I lost my Dad in September after a very brief home hospice. I hope she is comfortable and the two of you can share the remaining time with quality of life for both of you.

 

[JanetMarie]

Placing this here instead of classified and checking with all nearby states: Does anyone have or know of anyone who has COTTON PATCH GOOSE hatching eggs or goslings, or adults? Please PM me with information. Thank you.

 

[Fun Chicken]

FunChicken, have you been checking the mill dates on the bags of feed you buy?  Old feed might be deficient in some vitamins, and cause the problem.  Hope she continues to improve!  Mary

No, I didn't realized that! I'll make sure andcheck from now on. Thanks for the tip.

 

[dyorto]

I've decided to move my chicks outside for good today. Of course it's windy and going to rain tonight. Always makes me nervous. But they have their heating pad cave and good shelter so I know they'll be fine.

 

[uchytil]

Happy Easter to all my old friends on BYC!

 

[1muttsfan]

Happy Easter!