New chick. Not sure how to raise.

[chickens really]

Don't raise Chicks with Broody hens if your that scared of your Cats.?...I never worry..My Cat is a hunter..She kills Bush rabbits, Magpies, squirrels and song birds....Never one of my Chicks..

I didn't have anything to do with it except try to provide them a safe space. Chicks happen, apparently.

Sorry...I did my best to explain how to handle Broody Hens and Chicks....You never took any info as real and implied them....Sorry but I do know how Chickens operate and they are total beasts...


Best wishes.....I wish things went better..

Also....Chicks do not just happen if the care giver is not letting it happen..

 

[chickens really]

Hi! I really need help too, this might not be relevant, but I'm picking up a 1 day old African gosling this evening, I need to know what temp to keep him at, what to feed him? Does he need a pool? I have chicks in the brood right now, ranging from 1-2 weeks, any and all help would be appreciated

Post in the Goose threads......Way more help their than under this..

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Sorry...I did my best to explain how to handle Broody Hens and Chicks....You never took any info as real and implied them....Sorry but I do know how Chickens operate and they are total beasts...

Best wishes..

...I wish things went better..

I don't see that there's a serious problem. Some issues to work out, yes, but the chick will grow up and become part of the flock. I appreciate all of your help.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

This is the routine now.

Take the chick out of her coop in the evening and put her in the cage in the main coop. It's next to the roost and at the same height, so she gets a feel for roosting with the flock. She used to run and scream when I tried to catch her in her coop, but though she still does that to an extent, she jumped onto my hand last night and stayed there. I hold her and comfort her inside the main coop while all of the others watch as she cheeps. Last night the mother actually let out some sort of verbal acknowledgment of her.

In the morning I let her go with the others to feed them. She scrambles around a bit then heads towards her run. This morning she was a bit more curious about things outside before going inside. As she gets bigger, I'll leave the gate to her run open, and she can do what she wants.

I wish she had another chick companion, but she seems pretty content. I conduct flock feeds outside her pen 2-3 times a day so that she gets some company, and tell her that they all came by to see her.

 

[chickens really]

Sounds like you have things under control...

Best wishes..

 

[cool5x5]

what do they eat?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

what do they eat?

I feed them scrambled eggs mixed with scratch. They produce more eggs than I eat, so at the moment this is the best use for the extras.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Well that was interesting. When I went to grab the chick in her coop tonight she stayed perfectly still and allowed me to pick her up gently.

After I put her in her cage and everyone was on the roost, she started getting very agitated and pacing back and forth. I sensed she wanted to be on the perch, so I said, "What the heck, let's see what happens" and let her out. She immediately flew to the roost and tried to settle down, but no one would give her peace. I picked her up, calmed her and tried again putting her next to a rooster. He had no problem with her, but others did. When I held out my hands she jumped into them. I decided to put her back in the cage.

We'll keep trying this. Hopefully the others will settle down and leave her alone after a while. She sure wants to be with the others. And wow, I've never had a chick trust me like that. Totally unexpected.

 

[76972clb]

I usually put the broody and her chicks with the flock when the chicks are two weeks old so they can be integrated. Keeping them all separated longer than that makes them strangers.

You might consider a panic room for the chick so it will have a safe haven from the adults while it grows.

Awesome! I've been trying to figure what to do with my 3 week old chicks and broody hen. I have another one that just started sitting this week. I'll start to integrate them now.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Big Progress. I let little chick go wherever she wants now. The other hens seem to be accepting her more. Fortunately, she hangs around the coops and doesn't wander off. She spends most of her time hanging out with and watching the laying hens. She loves the roosters. They are very interested in her and do their typical song and dance with her, but she's nimble enough to shut that down and even gets in their face to stand them down. I still keep a watch on her to make sure things go OK.