Redinator's First Hatch-Along w Bonus Broody: Extended Edition

[akroberts1085]

Another stupid smart phone mistake is adding I. Wtf

 

[redinator]

I didn't know if I should handle them and hang out or not but then I asked her and I was given the information I needed. I started talking and cooing to them and now WOW, what an amazing difference it made. Even at the age yours are you can still bond with them as long as they are not cockerels. I wouldn't get rid of my girls unless I they pass away or they are cockerels. I know that life takes control of us but with the chickens they become our children so we need a bond just as much as they do. I know you can do it even with your crazy life right now you can definitely build the bond with your girls and possibly the boys.

Kettle my black BYM is a good boy, not affectionate, but has never been aggressive. Taz my light colored cockerel has always been standoffish and tests me regularly. There were several times I thought about culling him, but I kept both males in case one wasn't fertile or produced unhealthy chicks; which Kettle seems to be doing.

It's also possible Pot my black BYM pullet is the problem because it was mostly her eggs that didn't hatch. They're all still young, my oldest are only 7 months, so that could also be the issue. I won't know until I hatch some eggs from my other pullets and see where the problem is.

Next spring I'll be set up better to divide up pullets with one male at a time so I know for sure which chicks are whose and go from there.

As for the reds only one will let me pet her and she's been nasty to the new chicks, so idk if I want to keep her around. I reach out my hand to pet them and they wait until I'm inches away then bolt at the last second, or they stare at my hand the whole time and peck me if I pet them too long, lol.

I'm not in a rush to get rid of anyone just yet. Still a lot of things to figure out with my layout/setup. I might keep the temperamental ones as layers, but not hatch chicks from them.

I'm just glad the weather has cooled off so I can get outside and build somethings and add fencing etc without having to come in every twenty minutes to cool off.

I talk to all the chickens all the time, some respond to their names other just stand around and wait for treats.

 

[redinator]

So I haven't posted in this thread in a day or so because I'm having a bit of an internal debate, maybe y'all can help me out.

Sweety and her brood have been in the run with the other 9 older chickens and are doing great. I had to remove the pen because the chicks kept getting between the pen and run wall and Sweety would be frantic trying to get to them.

I removed the pen and everyone is getting along well, even my troublesome RIR pullet has decided it's best to leave the babies alone, than to incur the wrath of a pissed off mama.

Sweety's chicks turned a week old today, so all the birds (10 older birds and 3 chicks) have been cooped up that long. No one's fighting and I make sure there's plenty of food and treats to go around, but I don't want to keep them penned too much longer.

They're use to being penned for a day or two every now and then when I'm building stuff or doing yardwork, but never for this long at a stretch.

The problem is, even in the run the chicks keep finding ways to get stuck somewhere, at least in the run they're easy to locate and get my hands on, out in the yard that would be far more complicated.

I would also have to worry about Daisy with these chicks . . . she seems way too interested in them specifically, which could be because she hasn't been allowed to meet them after what happened, but I'm not willing to take any chances with her.

It seems that these are my options:

Safest option: Keep everyone penned for another week (at least) until the babies are more mobile and less likely to get stuck in random places.

Another option: Put Sweety's chicks with the incubator chicks that are now penned in the second run with the 9 and 10 week olds. I just don't know how Sweety would react to this since her chicks would be in close proximity and she's likely be stressed trying to get to them. I could try this for a few hours and see how she reacts, if she's too stressed I could put them back with her and the other birds in the run. Also putting Sweety's chicks with the incubator chicks might keep Daisy from being so honed in on them This stresses me a bit, but not as much as the third option . . .

Least safe option: Open the run and pray nothing goes wrong. I'd have to keep Daisy in the house or on leash at all times until I'm certain the chicks are safe. The problem with this is my 82 year old dad is going a bit senile and is use to the dogs being able to go out with the chickens and could open the door without realizing it's a problem . . . my heart stops when I think about this . . . so probably not a good idea now that I'm putting it in writing.

Thoughts? Other options I haven't thought of . . . ?

 

[kattabelly]

Sorry, my wheels started turning again . . . .

Umm . . . does any know if there are solar powered brooder plates, or if there are any that connect to something other than a wall outlet?

I promise I'll wait til next spring to use it . . . (behind back)

The brinsea plates run off 12V. They're sold with an adapter for mains power as standard, but you can buy a cable to plug them in to a car's cigarette lighter socket. Wire one of those sockets up to a leisure battery and you can plug the plate in to that without needing an inverter. You could use solar to charge the leisure battery too.

 

[ChickenChick46]

The video title says it all . . . he's soooo cute!

Gilbert crowed today for the first time! I didn't catch it on camera, but I hope to next time.

Your little guy is so handsome!

 

[redinator]

Gilbert crowed today for the first time! I didn't catch it on camera, but I hope to next time.

Your little guy is so handsome!

He's a cocky little thing too. He stared down one of the RIR pullets and she backed off . . . I was impressed and a little worried.

 

[ChickenChick46]

He's a cocky little thing too. He stared down one of the RIR pullets and she backed off . . . I was impressed and a little worried.

How cute!

 

[OnlySympathy]

So I haven't posted in this thread in a day or so because I'm having a bit of an internal debate, maybe y'all can help me out.

Sweety and her brood have been in the run with the other 9 older chickens and are doing great. I had to remove the pen because the chicks kept getting between the pen and run wall and Sweety would be frantic trying to get to them.

I removed the pen and everyone is getting along well, even my troublesome RIR pullet has decided it's best to leave the babies alone, than to incur the wrath of a pissed off mama.

Sweety's chicks turned a week old today, so all the birds (10 older birds and 3 chicks) have been cooped up that long. No one's fighting and I make sure there's plenty of food and treats to go around, but I don't want to keep them penned too much longer.

They're use to being penned for a day or two every now and then when I'm building stuff or doing yardwork, but never for this long at a stretch.

The problem is, even in the run the chicks keep finding ways to get stuck somewhere, at least in the run they're easy to locate and get my hands on, out in the yard that would be far more complicated.

I would also have to worry about Daisy with these chicks . . . she seems way too interested in them specifically, which could be because she hasn't been allowed to meet them after what happened, but I'm not willing to take any chances with her.

It seems that these are my options:

Safest option: Keep everyone penned for another week (at least) until the babies are more mobile and less likely to get stuck in random places.

Another option: Put Sweety's chicks with the incubator chicks that are now penned in the second run with the 9 and 10 week olds. I just don't know how Sweety would react to this since her chicks would be in close proximity and she's likely be stressed trying to get to them. I could try this for a few hours and see how she reacts, if she's too stressed I could put them back with her and the other birds in the run. Also putting Sweety's chicks with the incubator chicks might keep Daisy from being so honed in on them This stresses me a bit, but not as much as the third option . . .

Least safe option: Open the run and pray nothing goes wrong. I'd have to keep Daisy in the house or on leash at all times until I'm certain the chicks are safe. The problem with this is my 82 year old dad is going a bit senile and is use to the dogs being able to go out with the chickens and could open the door without realizing it's a problem . . . my heart stops when I think about this . . . so probably not a good idea now that I'm putting it in writing.

Thoughts? Other options I haven't thought of . . . ?

I wouldn’t separate them. The stress to both thr chicks and mama arent worth it imo. I would give them another few days and then start with just a few hours to see how it goes

 

[redinator]

I wouldn’t separate them. The stress to both thr chicks and mama arent worth it imo. I would give them another few days and then start with just a few hours to see how it goes

Do you mean start separating them for a few hours, or letting them out for a few hours?

 

[OnlySympathy]

Do you mean start separating them for a few hours, or letting them out for a few hours?

Sorry, I meant letting them out. In a few days they should have around 1/2 a brain cell functioning so hopefully they will be smart enough to not to cause too much stress for you or mom