Natural breeding thread

[boulter]

I think we all go through a learning curve. The first year I lost chicks bc they were probably sick before I got them. Lost one who went through a fence with 5 cm mazes . The second year I let my chickens brood and lost 2 to rats. And 2 years ago 2 chicks/young bantam pullets vanished after they were abandoned by their broodies, just a few weeks before point of lay.

Hopefully it all goes well for you, but it sure is wise to look for potential problems to avoid casualties.

Also, happy new year and thanks for helping me. Your first good deed for 2026 (it's already 1 Jan here)

 

[kattabelly]

There's a heat risk for us at the moment so keeping shallow water bowls full is going to be challenging.

Putting chicken wire or similar over the surface of a a deeper water container should work to let chickens drink from it but stop small chicks falling right in (make sure the holes are small enough that they definitely can't fall through or get stuck halfway)

 

[NatJ]

There's a heat risk for us at the moment so keeping shallow water bowls full is going to be challenging.

There is a style of chicken waterer that is common in the USA. I don't know if it's easy for you to get in Australia or not.

It has a big section full of water, and a shallow trough at the bottom. You fill the big section, and the water trickles into the shallow section as the chickens drink it. Some of them are big and made of metal, hold around 2-8 gallons (about 8-30 liters). Others are small and made of plastic. The smallest I've seen holds about a quart of water (about one liter).

The shallow trough means that chickens can drink but mostly cannot fall in. Young chicks occasionally manage in the very first few days, but are generally fine after that. The large upper part means there is lots of water to refill the little trough as the chickens drink it or as it evaporates.

Examples of the big metal kind. You lift off the top to fill it, then put the top back. That pushes a little lever to open a small hole, so water can trickle out into the trough as the chickens drink.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-5-gal-double-wall-drinker
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/large_galvanized_waterers.html
https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Galvanized-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B006ZJHBPM

Examples of the smaller plastic kind. You fill the white part, screw on the red part, then turn the whole thing over so it's ready to use. (Other colors exist, but white with a red base is very common.)
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-poultry-drinker-5-qt-2167654
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/quart_fruit_jar_base.html
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Family-Members-Drinker-Automatic/dp/B0CTD1QYF3?

I put in several links for each kind, in hopes that at least some of them will work for you to see what I'm talking about. (And if someone is reading this thread a few years in the future, hopefully some will still work.)

 

[BDutch]

There is a style of chicken waterer that is common in the USA. I don't know if it's easy for you to get in Australia or not.

It has a big section full of water, and a shallow trough at the bottom. You fill the big section, and the water trickles into the shallow section as the chickens drink it. Some of them are big and made of metal, hold around 2-8 gallons (about 8-30 liters). Others are small and made of plastic. The smallest I've seen holds about a quart of water (about one liter).

The shallow trough means that chickens can drink but mostly cannot fall in. Young chicks occasionally manage in the very first few days, but are generally fine after that. The large upper part means there is lots of water to refill the little trough as the chickens drink it or as it evaporates.

Examples of the big metal kind. You lift off the top to fill it, then put the top back. That pushes a little lever to open a small hole, so water can trickle out into the trough as the chickens drink.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-5-gal-double-wall-drinker
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/large_galvanized_waterers.html
https://www.amazon.com/Harris-Farms-Galvanized-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B006ZJHBPM

Examples of the smaller plastic kind. You fill the white part, screw on the red part, then turn the whole thing over so it's ready to use. (Other colors exist, but white with a red base is very common.)
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/harris-farms-poultry-drinker-5-qt-2167654
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/quart_fruit_jar_base.html
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Family-Members-Drinker-Automatic/dp/B0CTD1QYF3?

I put in several links for each kind, in hopes that at least some of them will work for you to see what I'm talking about. (And if someone is reading this thread a few years in the future, hopefully some will still work.)

If you don’t want to spend any money and you have marbles or 1/2 -1” size pebbles you can add these to a (flat) clay-stone bowl (vaporising) and fill it with water. In between the pebbles or marbles is water to drink from. The clay-stone keeps the water cooler than plastic or metal.

Or make your own water tower with a small tray with a raised edge a soup plate or something similar, a few chopsticks or a piece of thick hardware cloth, and a heavy pot to fill with water that fit inside the soup plate. Fill the pot/container with water put the tray on it and quickly turn in upside down. Slide the hwc or chopsticks in between.

 

[Skyeknight]

I could some advice as I am going to hatch 10 eggs. I was planning to buy an incubator but now one of chickens has gone broody around the 25th of December. She is Silkie born the 1st of March, she has no experience with chicks at all and only started laying. The beginning of December. I am wondering should I buy the incubator or give her a chance. I would prefer to use her if she is broody anyways, but since it's winter and freezing and she would be a first time mom that might be too hard. Especially with 10 chicks. Atm she weights 1328 grams, she is on the bigger size for a Silkie. I have already collected all the eggs, so it's not a staggered hatch and can just put them under her anytime now.

Then there is also a point of moving her. She is brooding about a metre above ground level in a little kitchen cabinet with a platform, aka the doorway, that chicks could just walk off. I would prefer the move her with the whole "nestbox" inside the coop she will raise the chicks in. I would prefer to do this around the last three days of incubating. Big thing here is that if she abandons them they will freeze to death before I would figure it out.

 

[NatJ]

I am wondering should I buy the incubator or give her a chance.

Then there is also a point of moving her. She is brooding about a metre above ground level in a little kitchen cabinet with a platform, aka the doorway, that chicks could just walk off. I would prefer the move her with the whole "nestbox" inside the coop she will raise the chicks in. I would prefer to do this around the last three days of incubating. Big thing here is that if she abandons them they will freeze to death before I would figure it out.

I would not try to move her during the last three days of incubating. You are correct that if she refuses to sit in the new nest, the eggs could die in the cold before you figure that out. I would either move her before giving her the eggs you want hatched, or else let her sit and hatch right where she is (and then move her after the chicks hatch, if you move her at all).

Since you are not sure about whether to let her hatch, I would probably move her and the nestbox now, and give her some fake eggs to sit on for a few days. If she breaks, go buy that incubator you mentioned. But if she keeps sitting in the new place, give her the real eggs in place of the fake ones, and let her try hatching them.

 

[BDutch]

I could some advice as I am going to hatch 10 eggs. I was planning to buy an incubator but now one of chickens has gone broody around the 25th of December. She is Silkie born the 1st of March, she has no experience with chicks at all and only started laying. The beginning of December. I am wondering should I buy the incubator or give her a chance.

Why not wait a few months. January is not the best time to hatch. More chances on a poor hatch with a broody or you need to keep the chicks inside /with extra warmth outside with an incubator. Maybe more important, this early in the year doesn’t make an easy start for the chicks.

I would prefer to use her if she is broody anyways, but since it's winter and freezing and she would be a first time mom that might be too hard. Especially with 10 chicks. Atm she weights 1328 grams, she is on the bigger size for a Silkie. I have already collected all the eggs, so it's not a staggered hatch and can just put them under her anytime now.

Why 10 eggs? 6 eggs is easier for her and up to 6 chicks is easier than up to
10. You can eat the oldest surplus eggs.

Then there is also a point of moving her. She is brooding about a metre above ground level in a little kitchen cabinet with a platform, aka the doorway, that chicks could just walk off. I would prefer the move her with the whole "nestbox" inside the coop she will raise the chicks in. I would prefer to do this around the last three days of incubating. Big thing here is that if she abandons them they will freeze to death before I would figure it out.

The broody probably keeps the chicks with her for a few days, if you block the doorway with a 10cm high piece of cardboard. Not sure about your silkie, but my broodies did so in the prefab I have.

If you can make a broad plank with a rough surface (not slippery) and no more than an 30° angle, 1 meter up is no problem. Nice to be around to watch if everything goes nicely at the time they go upstairs at the end of the day (16.00?) . I recommend to do so at least on the first day they come downstairs.

Or move the broody at hatch time. She wont leave the eggs and just hatched chicks when she is busy hatching and hears peeps in the eggs that are about to hatch.

Or keep the broody in the nestbox with some extra space for a few days. If there is not enough extra space /platform this is not a very good idea bc the broody and chicks need to eat, drink and poop outside the nest at some point. Then move the broody with her nest, chicks and the eggs that didn’t hatch (yet) to a nest on ground level. Surely the broody accepts the new nest if it looks /smells the same and she can’t go back to the old nest area.

In nature chickens build nests higher up sometimes too. Free ranging chickens do this too sometimes. About 2 days after hatch the strongest chicks get out and fly down. The broody leaves the nest but if the chicks can’t return, she sleeps / makes a new nest on the ground or goes back to the coop with her chicks for the easy food. The eggs that didn’t hatch and weak chicks die. On the ground there is a high risk of predation. We dont want this to happen with our precious chicks, but survival of the fittest is what happens in nature a lot. I just want you to consider that broodies sometimes find their own solutions that aren’t as stupid as we humans think they are.

 

[BDutch]

PS The easiest solution ?: take the kitchen kabinet of the wall and put it on the ground.

 

[Skyeknight]

Since you are not sure about whether to let her hatch, I would probably move her and the nestbox now,

I moved her to the separate coop with the whole nestbox. I also moved another Silkie with her that seems she might go broody, as she has a brood patch and stayed in her favourite nestbox to sleep. This Silkie does have previous experience with raising chicks.

Why 10 eggs? 6 eggs is easier for her and up to 6 chicks is easier than up to
10.

It is mainly in case eggs don't hatch and chicks die. I was planning to indeed change it to 6, but I am holding off for now. If the other Silkie is actually broody they could both get about half.

Why not wait a few months. January is not the best time to hatch.

Because I want to breed with 2 roosters later on this year and would run out of time before the next winter starts. Those 2 roosters would be hatching from these very eggs. I know with animals you should be prepared for things to not go according to plan, which is why I wanted to use an incubator in the first place. But if I can give them an actual mother, I would prefer to do that.

I just want you to consider that broodies sometimes find their own solutions that aren’t as stupid as we humans think they are.

I don't think she is stupid. She decided to go broody in freezing weather, but if she thinks she is fit enough to hatch eggs I will believe her. It's the fact this would be her first time being a mother that has me worried. She has no prior experience with raising chicks, doing so in colder weather means she needs to make an extra effort to make sure they are all accounted for. If the other Silkie co-broods with her that would help a lot, since she does have previous experience.

Co-brooding however creates another uncertainty. This being are they actually doing it together, or apart and might refuse each other chicks. During the summer they were pretty close with each other, so I hope that friendliness carries over here.

 

[dannichols525]

I use both methods of incubating eggs and rearing chicks. I find that my incubator does a better job hatching and the brooder does better at raising the babies. Natural, for me, it's just a lot more fun!