second brood out with the flock.

[rita2paul]

the first lot of baby chicks are settled. now the second brood are out with the flock, so far so good. i have another mum on one little chick that hatched this morning. really don’t need any more chicks. i will have to stop them sitting next year.

 

[chickens really]

View attachment 1534604 View attachment 1534605 View attachment 1534606 the first lot of baby chicks are settled. now the second brood are out with the flock, so far so good. i have another mum on one little chick that hatched this morning. really don’t need any more chicks. i will have to stop them sitting next year.

Cute...I definitely would set up a Broody breaker if needed. I won't let mine set anymore this year.

 

[Rysktal]

No more sitting in 2018! Lol

 

[rita2paul]

yes I don't want them to sit again this year. how do you stop them.
I hate to leave fake eggs under them, they do all the hard work sitting with nothing at the end, I feel sorry for them. that's why I only left one egg for her to hatch this time. maybe I will only let them hatch the araucana as these are not crossed with anything and easier to sell on. yet the cross breed chickens are so lovely, you just don't know what you will get.

 

[aart]

Fake eggs won't break a broody...they'll sit on nothing if the hormones hit.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[rita2paul]

i will try this, thank you. as it’s now getting cold in the night i think it will be the end for this year, but i suppose they will start up again next year. bless them.