Minnesota!

[holm25]

Ralph how many eggs could u fit under your Cochin's?

 

[duluthralphie]

I have no idea, but I am going to try a dozen.

 

[holm25]

I have no idea, but I am going to try a dozen.

OK I was just wondering

 

[Dandelioness]

Hi guys! Haven't even had a moment to check my favorite threads for a while, so I'll have to catch up later!
I have a question for those of you who use broodies to raise chicks -

I had a silkie setting on some of her own eggs. Then I had an artificial incubator mishap (rookie incubator here) and only two chicks lived. Instead of firing up the brooder, I pulled her eggs out from under her and grafted the chicks under her. She accepted them & all are doing well.

The three eggs she was setting were very dark inside when I candled them, so I put them in the incubator with a new batch of eggs. ALL THREE OF THEM HATCHED! I'm so excited!

It's been about ten days since I grafted those other chicks - has anyone successfully grafted MORE chicks onto a mama hen in this period of time??

Thanks in advance for any experience you can share. One person on FB suggested brooding them artificially until they're a little bigger/stronger, then grafting them at night.

I can't stop smiling!

Angel Eyes & Blondie with mama hen

Three new silkie chicks! The rest of the eggs are due to hatch in a week and a half or so.

 

[holm25]

Hi guys! Haven't even had a moment to check my favorite threads for a while, so I'll have to catch up later!
I have a question for those of you who use broodies to raise chicks -

I had a silkie setting on some of her own eggs. Then I had an artificial incubator mishap (rookie incubator here) and only two chicks lived. Instead of firing up the brooder, I pulled her eggs out from under her and grafted the chicks under her. She accepted them & all are doing well.

The three eggs she was setting were very dark inside when I candled them, so I put them in the incubator with a new batch of eggs. ALL THREE OF THEM HATCHED! I'm so excited!

It's been about ten days since I grafted those other chicks - has anyone successfully grafted MORE chicks onto a mama hen in this period of time??

Thanks in advance for any experience you can share. One person on FB suggested brooding them artificially until they're a little bigger/stronger, then grafting them at night.

I can't stop smiling!

Angel Eyes & Blondie with mama hen


Three new silkie chicks! The rest of the eggs are due to hatch in a week and a half or so.

First I'd like to say congrats!! And second, She will probably take them but they may get left behind since the other chicks r so much older. But you should try it.

 

[duluthralphie]

Dandelioness. I have no idea with chickens but I bought 4 chicks for the first turkey hen that went broody last year and Ethel stole the 4 chicks, ( and she was not even broody), after this happened about a week later I went and bought 4 more chicks for the other hen, and Ethel stole them and raised all 8. it was about 10 tens after this the other hen died of heart break I think.

I think the mothering instinct is so strong they would always take a young of any kind.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

What do you do to help keep the moisture out? Do you keep your vents/windows open in the winter as long as they're not drafty? I'm finding this to be my biggest hang up so far. We all know how cold it can get in MN, so I'm trying to find the most efficient solution. We're just starting to convert our old ice fishing house a.k.a. temporary shed to a coop. It has one window that doesn't open, so we're going to add hinged vents to the coop. It's 9x12.




Yup, lots of junk to get rid of first! Lol

Welcome @MinnesotaNice ! Vent at the top of that tallest wall there on the left side...just under the eave. Drill some round 2-3 inch holes and put hardware cloth over it. That roof line right there is a good one for chickens. The warm moist air rides the roof line right up and out. I did some moisture/frostbite - coop research and I strongly believe the folks with these simple slant roof lines have the least problems. I have a gabled roof or Peak in the middle type roof and had frost bite issues my first year despite shoddy building skills (lots of cracks between the wood boards & surrounded in windows) Also, much like Cluckies I believe cold is cold and taking the edge off of -10 to -25F is needed. I'm not into tough love; and taking advice from somebody living in Virginia and not Minnesota when it comes to wintering chickens is not recommended. When it's that cold moisture dissipates pretty fast. It's just cold and nasty.

I still am having problems with my chickens. I have 5 chickens at 7 mos old and I still only get zero to two eggs a day. Today I got another with no shell. I feed them a organic high protein grower food with extra oyster shell in the food and plain oyster shell on the side too. Any Ideas?

How much scratch and treats are these dear ones getting? In addition to their kick-butt grower food? I would start a weaning of treats and put them on strict layer feed. I had the same issues starting out. I thought I was giving healthy treats and they were....yogurts, cottage cheese, fruits...but the spoiled brats quit laying and until I got strict about layer feed, they finally turned around. Treats should be less than 10% of their diet.

Hi guys! Haven't even had a moment to check my favorite threads for a while, so I'll have to catch up later!
I have a question for those of you who use broodies to raise chicks -

I had a silkie setting on some of her own eggs. Then I had an artificial incubator mishap (rookie incubator here) and only two chicks lived. Instead of firing up the brooder, I pulled her eggs out from under her and grafted the chicks under her. She accepted them & all are doing well.

The three eggs she was setting were very dark inside when I candled them, so I put them in the incubator with a new batch of eggs. ALL THREE OF THEM HATCHED! I'm so excited!

It's been about ten days since I grafted those other chicks - has anyone successfully grafted MORE chicks onto a mama hen in this period of time??

Thanks in advance for any experience you can share. One person on FB suggested brooding them artificially until they're a little bigger/stronger, then grafting them at night.

I can't stop smiling!

Angel Eyes & Blondie with mama hen


Three new silkie chicks! The rest of the eggs are due to hatch in a week and a half or so.

If she heard peeping in those last eggs before you incubated them out she may just take them. I think any older than a 2 week difference your pushing it....you might be on the edge here as well. Give it a shot. She might be one heck of a special broody Momma! Adorable chicks.

Ralphie I got those EE's at L & M and I think they seek out various hatcheries. Not sure where they got them from. I want to say Hoover rings a bell. I think I just screwed up with them is all. I might have had lights on them too long early on...or diet issues early on...that created reproductive issues...IDK...these are shots in the dark. See? La-La, 6 years on your EEs?! Totally jealous. Oh I miss my EE eggs. Love the CCL blues. But each of my EE's had a variation on color. from olivey to caribbean blue, to baby blue...

Was reading a little on AI...and I've decided I wont feed wild birds this year. I don't like the spread of this whole thing right now. Just uneasy about my flock getting it. I do love the wild bird pictures though.
I heard mayonnaise is going up in price about 60% due to the shutdowns on the egg farms in IA. I think I'll go stock up at the grocery store.

 

[bantiesrule]

Dandelioness. With a silkie, I would definitely try it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if she took care of them. But don't wait until they are older, the sooner the better. As holm25 said, they might not be able to keep up so I would keep her in a smaller pen until they get a little older and can keep up with her. Good luck.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Hi guys! Haven't even had a moment to check my favorite threads for a while, so I'll have to catch up later!
I have a question for those of you who use broodies to raise chicks -

I had a silkie setting on some of her own eggs. Then I had an artificial incubator mishap (rookie incubator here) and only two chicks lived. Instead of firing up the brooder, I pulled her eggs out from under her and grafted the chicks under her. She accepted them & all are doing well.

The three eggs she was setting were very dark inside when I candled them, so I put them in the incubator with a new batch of eggs. ALL THREE OF THEM HATCHED! I'm so excited!

It's been about ten days since I grafted those other chicks - has anyone successfully grafted MORE chicks onto a mama hen in this period of time??

Thanks in advance for any experience you can share. One person on FB suggested brooding them artificially until they're a little bigger/stronger, then grafting them at night.

I can't stop smiling!

Angel Eyes & Blondie with mama hen


Three new silkie chicks! The rest of the eggs are due to hatch in a week and a half or so.

I've done it with a Silkie and she went nuts looking for them the moment she heard them peep. Go for it!

 

[The BlanchRanch]

Thanks. I will try it. We just give them raisins once in a while right now. Great stress relief; feeding chickens by hand.