BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[BDutch]

This is the first time that I haven’t separated the broodies with chicks from other flock members (now 3 hens).

There is no (not yet a) problem with the chicks and the other 3 hens. Only when mama Janice went out , maybe to poop/for a sand-bath , she was harassed by Kraai. Ini mini comes up in the ‘portal’ to eat the watery chick feed, but doesn’t disturb the broodies or the chicks.

Feed and water are near the nest-boxes in a ‘portal’ between the nest-boxes and the chicken ladder/board.
If the chicks leave the nest to eat or drink one of the mama’s is guarding the pop-door opening. I can’t close it because it needs to be open for ventilation.

One Dutch chick escaped
One chick escaped from this part of the tiny coop were the chick feed is and went down. I think I noticed it before the mama’s did. She was peeping and getting a bit cold. Of course I rescued her, but ferling this is a hazard. Even with 3 mama’s the chick probably escaped unnoticed and if there is no mama calling the chick the chick probably cant find his way up.

If all eggs are abandoned I hope the mama’s will go down to another bigger laying nest thats easy accessible and only a 2 inches from the floor.

What would you do?
Can I leave it to the mama’s to make the right choice. ?
Or.
Shall I put the mama’s and babies in the bigger nest box near the floor? I could do that now or maybe better tonight when they are all sleepy.

 

[BDutch]

Btw, I had chicks in these nestboxes before. And never lost a chick because he couldn’t find the way up again.

But I do appreciate your opinion on my question.

@pennyJo1960
@Iluveggers
@HiEverybirdy
@Sequel
@Sally PB
@no fly zone

@Shadrach
@NanaK
@Eggcessive

 

[Sequel]

This is the first time that I haven’t separated the broodies with chicks from other flock members (now 3 hens).

There is no (not yet a) problem with the chicks and the other 3 hens. Only when mama Janice went out , maybe to poop/for a sand-bath , she was harassed by Kraai. Ini mini comes up in the ‘portal’ to eat the watery chick feed, but doesn’t disturb the broodies or the chicks.

Feed and water are near the nest-boxes in a ‘portal’ between the nest-boxes and the chicken ladder/board.
If the chicks leave the nest to eat or drink one of the mama’s is guarding the pop-door opening. I can’t close it because it needs to be open for ventilation.

One Dutch chick escaped
One chick escaped from this part of the tiny coop were the chick feed is and went down. I think I noticed it before the mama’s did. She was peeping and getting a bit cold. Of course I rescued her, but ferling this is a hazard. Even with 3 mama’s the chick probably escaped unnoticed and if there is no mama calling the chick the chick probably cant find his way up.

If all eggs are abandoned I hope the mama’s will go down to another bigger laying nest thats easy accessible and only a 2 inches from the floor.

What would you do?
Can I leave it to the mama’s to make the right choice. ?
Or.
Shall I put the mama’s and babies in the bigger nest box near the floor? I could do that now or maybe better tonight when they are all sleepy.

I have never hatched chicks so I have nothing useful to tell you. I do appreciate being able to follow along. When we want to buy or hatch chicks can we be considered “broody” as well?

 

[BDutch]

I have never hatched chicks so I have nothing useful to tell you. I do appreciate being able to follow along. When we want to buy or hatch chicks can we be considered “broody” as well?

Why not.
But I think you need a bit more knowledge than a broody hen. Not just follow your instincts.

The last egg is still alive but hasn’t hatched. I’m afraid the chick is not strong enough to come out.

 

[BDutch]

Just before it went dark I went once again to see if the last chick made it. I was probably just in time because what I saw was a wet baby chick in the corner of the nest box. She was not under mama’s wings and probably getting cold. So I replaced the wet chick with the hollow eggshell

Never seen a chick with a broody in such a state. If I get to see them they are always dry and fluffy. Except this one.

I’m hope the chick is strong enough to make it and curious how she/he will look tomorrow?

The broodies with all chicks 9 chicks underneath. The damp cloth was to make sure the nesting material wasn’t getting too dry, for the egg to hatch, because we had a warm sunny day.

 

[BDutch]

Recapturing:

The broodies look happy with their task. But I wasn’t very happy today. Janice had a little poop on one of the eggs.

Collected a new laid egg in both nests. And two in nestbox nr 3.

The poop probably didn’t affect the outcome at all. The first Dutch that hatched had poop on the shell.

Thank you U_Stormcrow. This convinces me to keep the bag.
If the pellets are too big for the little bantams I can crush them or add water.

Adding water to the pellets works great. I haven’t given the chicks anything else to eat these first days.

The Vorwerk chicks didn’t leave the nest the first day. They went out to eat the next day. I suspect that the Dutch leave the nest to eat sooner.

…

To keep the chicks safe I do need to close one of the gates to keep this cat out. Im thinking about the best solution now to keep them safe if the three free rangers are outside in the garden.

It works, the 3 hens come out to free range and then I close the opening between the two runs to keep the chicks safe. In the second run I made a temporary extra nestbox. But until now the chickens don’t want to lay an egg in the the 4th nestbox. Yesterday I got the idea Ini mini and Katrientje were calling me (sounded like an ‘egg-song’) to get in. A few hours later I discovered that Kraai or Ini mini laid an egg in the 3th nest box.
Kraai attempted to sleep in that nestbox again. Hopefully she isn’t broody again.

@Shadrach did you ever notice hens using the ‘egg-song’ or escort-song for other purposes than to get escorted to the rest of the flock?

 

[BDutch]

Junior, the one that struggled to hatch was all fluffy this morning but still very wobbly on its feet.
All 3 mama’s must have thought it was dinner time wen I filled up the feed (pellets with water). Two even went down the boardwalk /downstairs and clucked for the peeps to follow.
They don’t realise there is one that still needs newborn care and it would have been sublime if the could divide their mama tasks.

Junior started peeping (getting cold ). So I took the liberty to take her indoors. Folded in my hands. Now I have her in a kind of kangaroo bag against my body to keep Junior warm.

 

[ManueB]

My experience is much smaller than yours but my one hatch I did move the mama and chicks when they were two or three days old. The original nest was in a corner on the floor of the coop, in the dark and I knew they would be harassed by the rest of the flock. It worked well, in fact the mama Chipie seemed to love the place we had made for her in a crate in the run, protected from the other chickens.

 

[BDutch]

My experience is much smaller than yours but my one hatch I did move the mama and chicks when they were two or three days old. The original nest was in a corner on the floor of the coop, in the dark and I knew they would be harassed by the rest of the flock. It worked well, in fact the mama Chipie seemed to love the place we had made for her in a crate in the run, protected from the other chickens.

Thanks ManueB, you made me think twice and I’m grateful for that.

The whole flock with 3 mama’s, 3 hens that free range from time to time and the chicks go wel together. To avoid an integrating proces later on I prefer(red) not to seperate them.

But it is a good option seeing what happened just a few minutes ago. One Dutch peep stayed behind on the ground floor. The mama’s didn’t call her. She wasn’t even searching for a way up . When Ini mini was eating chick feed the Dutch chick started eating from the same bowl, until she got a little peck from a very surprised Ini mini.
I snatched the peep (gently) and put her on the boardwalk/stairs. She didn’t get cold (Dutch are very easy and quickly hardened chicks) in the 15-30 minutes she was alone. But getting cold is a concern if the mama’s are out of reach for a long time. Its seems that 9 chicks with 3 mama’ is quite a cluttered bunch for the mama’s.

Tomorrow I have to work at the office. My DH offered to work at home. But we can’t check every hour for the rest of the whole working week.

I can put the mama’s and chicks in the run at the back and have the 3 free rangers in the coop/large run the upcoming week or maybe even longer. I will think about a separation during working hours and discuss with my DH on the best solution.

PS, we wait another day. My DH said “4 chicks and 2 mama’s where downstairs. When the mothers went back up they clucked and 3 followed immediately. The other one followed later after more clucking. “ So it seems they are figuring out how to use the boardwalk.

 

[BDutch]

Junior
The late chick is completely ignored. Noticed she had a defect on her feet. Mostly on her right foot. One toe has a strange curl and another toe make a wrong hook.

Because she probably had nothing to eat or drink today I gave Junior some electrolytes. (S)he is more alert now.

I wonder what chances Junior will have.

The rest of the chicks
The mamas developed a routine. About 45 minutes digging, searching for tiny insects in the soil. And after that s nap. The chicks disappear under the wings of the mamas. The don’t go up to the nest-boxes anymore.
I made an extra nestbox with clean bedding in a corner of the covered run where they were sitting/resting. I wonder what they will do if its time to sleep ’.

Junior with the strange foot