Raising Baby Chicks: What’s Your Go-To Method?

[akroberts1085]

I don't have a rooster so I just use a brooder. I use pine shavings. I'm going to start using sand after reading this article. I have purchased a lot of different things for feed and water but I still just use the small waterer that I bought at Walmart. I have put a narrow board in the brooder (extra large rabbit cage), and let them learn to roost. I use a small space heater for keeping them warm. I cover the brooder with blankets at night just to take away the light. I had one chick look like she might have pasty butt and I just cleaned it for a day or two. I did loose 1 chick with the first time I got chicks but I think she was already ill at the time I got her. She had very bad smell to her. For introducing them to the flock I have a wooden rabbit hutch that I put them in. The only problem is it doesn't seem to matter to my flock that they are supposed to get acquainted with the little ones so they still insist on chasing and bullying them. I keep them on starter feed until the bag is gone then I start them on an all flock feed.

 

[BDutch]

I don't have a rooster so I just use a brooder.

I don’t have a rooster either. So?
There is another option.

Some of my chickens go broody once in a while (spring & summer). Buying fertile eggs from a breeder is the way to go for me. Cockerels have to go before March when they start to crow real early.

 

[CabritaChicks]

I don’t have a rooster either. So?
There is another option.

Some of my chickens go broody once in a while (spring & summer). Buying fertile eggs from a breeder is the way to go for me. Cockerels have to go before March when they start to crow real early.

I was going to say @akroberts1085 why do you need a rooster?

 

[akroberts1085]

I was going to say @akroberts1085 why do you need a rooster?

The only rooster I was thinking about keeping was the sweet little cockerel that I lost.

 

[CabritaChicks]

The only rooster I was thinking about keeping was the sweet little cockerel that I lost.

I still don't get it. A broody hen, raises the chicks. Or you use a brooder setup= what does that have to do with a rooster? Maybe my glass of wine is getting to my head and I missed a step.

 

[akroberts1085]

I still don't get it. A broody hen, raises the chicks. Or you use a brooder setup= what does that have to do with a rooster? Maybe my glass of wine is getting to my head and I missed a step.

I use a brooder set up for raising the chicks but I had planned on keeping the cockerel that I lost and then it would have been about the hens raising them for me. I know that I don't need a rooster to brood chicks.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I use a brooder set up for raising the chicks but I had planned on keeping the cockerel that I lost and then it would have been about the hens raising them for me. I know that I don't need a rooster to brood chicks.

Sadly, having a rooster does not guarantee that any of your hens will go broody. It only means that your chicks will be related to your current flock. Out of all of our hens, we have only had 2 who have ever gone broody. One of those only went broody once and even though she was a great mom, decided that motherhood was just not for her

 

[BDutch]

Sadly, having a rooster does not guarantee that any of your hens will go broody. It only means that your chicks will be related to your current flock. Out of all of our hens, we have only had 2 who have ever gone broody. One of those only went broody once and even though she was a great mom, decided that motherhood was just not for her

There are plenty of breeds who are known to have good broodies (good sitters and good mamma’s).
Of course there is no guarantee, that they will. And the other way around happens too (a hen from a breed known for not getting broody, going broody).

When I want chicks, I wait till spring and lay 5 fake eggs in one nest until I have a broody. Always worked within a week with one of my 6 older hens (Dutch, mix breed and my bantam RIR).

If I didn’t have such good broodies I would buy an incubator. Hoping one gets broody within a few weeks and change the fake eggs with the real ones once she sits tight. If that doesn’t happen there is always a possibility to set up a cage with a heat plate for the chicks that hatched.

If your hens are not the broody type you can try to buy hatchery eggs from known broodies or a known breed with broodies like:
Silkies, Wyandottes, Sussex, Cochin, Brahma, Araucana, Marans, Australorp, Chabo, Yokohama, etc..

 

[RubelliteRose]

There are plenty of breeds who are known to have good broodies (good sitters and good mamma’s).
Of course there is no guarantee, that they will. And the other way around happens too (a hen from a breed known for not getting broody, going broody).

We have one from each group! Sage, who went broody first, is a McMurry Ameracuana (EE). We were shocked as they are not supposed to be broody at all. Pippin, our Maran, went broody a week later. Pippin has continued to go broody every year since then.
We are thinking about adding a couple more likely to go broody breeds next year as we will be getting no descendants from Pippin. She is an amazing mom, but in 4 years, has refused to let any of our roosters touch her