October Hatch-A-Long 2017

[Poultrybreeder]

So did ya win the auction?!

I won the auction!!

 

[misslady]

I won the auction!!

Yay! Now to stalk the mailman until they arrive, lol.

 

[Poultrybreeder]

Haha, will do

 

[theuglychick]

Kind of off topic, but kind of not.

Anyone in the October hatchalong doing the mama heating pad in the brooder instead of the lamp? Thinking I'm going to try it for this brood.

I see a difference in the chicks that are hatched under a broody vs those that are hatched via incubator.

My incubator chicks cry out a lot during hatching and after until they just kind of exhaust themselves.

I had always thought this was normal. That is until I let a broody hatch some biddies out.

Aside from little faint peeps and trills, broody hatched chicks hardly ever make a sound when snuggled in her feathers. I never heard one cry out unless pushing really hard to escape the egg. They are content, cozy, and secure in mamas feathers.

After seeing the difference, I felt a little bad for the next batch I watched hatch out in the bator.

I'm thinking the mama heating pad method might give them a little more comfort, rather than the institutional-like heat lamp.

I've read through several articles, watched some videos, and went through the threads and posts here on BYC, too. But curious as to if any of you have tried it. If so, any suggestions or tips from the experienced?

Here's my July babies with broody mama The first one poked her head out when I walked in the coop and that was the only way I knew they were hatching! She popped out on day 18!

 

[Poultrybreeder]

Kind of off topic, but kind of not.

Anyone in the October hatchalong doing the mama heating pad in the brooder instead of the lamp? Thinking I'm going to try it for this brood.

I see a difference in the chicks that are hatched under a broody vs those that are hatched via incubator.

My incubator chicks cry out a lot during hatching and after until they just kind of exhaust themselves.

I had always thought this was normal. That is until I let a broody hatch some biddies out.

Aside from little faint peeps and trills, broody hatched chicks hardly ever make a sound when snuggled in her feathers. I never heard one cry out unless pushing really hard to escape the egg. They are content, cozy, and secure in mamas feathers.

After seeing the difference, I felt a little bad for the next batch I watched hatch out in the bator.

I'm thinking the mama heating pad method might give them a little more comfort, rather than the institutional-like heat lamp.

I've read through several articles, watched some videos, and went through the threads and posts here on BYC, too. But curious as to if any of you have tried it. If so, any suggestions or tips from the experienced?

Here's my July babies with broody mama The first one poked her head out when I walked in the coop and that was the only way I knew they were hatching! She popped out on day 18!
View attachment 1139174 View attachment 1139176

Something is very wrong with your hen, she has a fluffy yellow leg growing out of her bottom, and a strange growth on her back! I would ask a vet about this right away! LOL, just kidding.

 

[theuglychick]

Lolll!!

She had a lot of little heads and feet sticking out of her for a while!

It was pretty cute and funny.

The little "issues" didn't seem to bother her and she didn't want me to get near her to "remove" them

She was a great mama. She slept on the roost without them for the first time last night.

Something is very wrong with your hen, she has a fluffy yellow leg growing out of her bottom, and a strange growth on her back! I would ask a vet about this right away! LOL, just kidding.

 

[Stuckinlove]

@theuglychick they are so cute! I would love to try a broody but I have to wait until one of mine wants to do it. I would love to hear about how you like the mama heating pad (if you decide to do it). I thought the only option was the heat lamp. Silly me! Off to research some more...

 

[theuglychick]

I do recommend letting broodys hatch them out when they're ready! The broody hatching was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

After seeing how happy mama and chicks were together, I vowed to never try "broody jail" again, instead I'm just going to let nature take its course and let them hatch them out. The consequences are really not that bad... more chicks!

I've also decided I'm going to give the heating pad a try. I've read about chicks getting stuck between the pad and wire so to prevent this, I'm going to wrap the entire pad and wire in a cloth or puppy pee pad.

I'll construct it this weekend or next and post pics.

 

[misslady]

Kind of off topic, but kind of not.

Anyone in the October hatchalong doing the mama heating pad in the brooder instead of the lamp? Thinking I'm going to try it for this brood.

I see a difference in the chicks that are hatched under a broody vs those that are hatched via incubator.

My incubator chicks cry out a lot during hatching and after until they just kind of exhaust themselves.

I had always thought this was normal. That is until I let a broody hatch some biddies out.

Aside from little faint peeps and trills, broody hatched chicks hardly ever make a sound when snuggled in her feathers. I never heard one cry out unless pushing really hard to escape the egg. They are content, cozy, and secure in mamas feathers.

After seeing the difference, I felt a little bad for the next batch I watched hatch out in the bator.

I'm thinking the mama heating pad method might give them a little more comfort, rather than the institutional-like heat lamp.

I've read through several articles, watched some videos, and went through the threads and posts here on BYC, too. But curious as to if any of you have tried it. If so, any suggestions or tips from the experienced?

Here's my July babies with broody mama The first one poked her head out when I walked in the coop and that was the only way I knew they were hatching! She popped out on day 18!
View attachment 1139174 View attachment 1139176

I just have to say that seeing those babies hanging out with their mama is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I'm going to be using a premier heat plate in my brooder box for the first time with these chicks.

We'll have to compare experiences, as I was really on the fence between the two! Looking forward to seeing your MHP in action!

 

[theuglychick]

It was even better in person, better than Prozac

When I first looked at the heating plates they were so expensive! I think they were at or over $100. For me that might as well be a million dollars, lol.

But man, what a great concept!

It looks like they're pricing them more reasonably now, unless the ones on amazon are knock-offs.

Im excited to see how the plate works for you! I'll definitely keep y'all posted!

I just have to say that seeing those babies hanging out with their mama is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I'm going to be using a premier heat plate in my brooder box for the first time with these chicks.

We'll have to compare experiences, as I was really on the fence between the two! Looking forward to seeing your MHP in action!