Separate brooder pen for new moms and chicks or house them together? PICS PLEASE!

[JesNflock]

This is my broody setup. It is attached to the main flock's run with a closeable pop door. When no one is broody they like to lay in the pictured brood box. They have a larger coop on the other side of my 10x12' run.



I have a cubalaya pullet who just hatched 3 weeks ago. Darn girl is trying to act like a Silkie - I found her sitting 2 eggs, with the chicks, today! Considering that I have allowed her to run outside near sunset to forage, poop and play brazen hussy to the roos, they might be fertile!

I like that room off of the main one( I didn't think about a pop door just for the broodies..good idea)
How funny that she is playing momma again so soon. Will she be able to do both, care for her chicks and hatch out viable eggs?

 

[wood&feathers]

I doubt it and will take the eggs. I've lost a couple days to strep and just made the discovery today. She was sitting on both the chicks and the eggs, but in the past a broody usually loses interest in the chicks upon resumption of laying.

 

[wood&feathers]

The pop door between compartments is kept closed once the hen's nest is filled with marked fertile eggs of known age. I don't open it again until the hen and her brood have been introduced to the flock outdoors. The bigger dominant birds will stake their claim to the chick feed otherwise.

 

[wood&feathers]

The broody hen and her chicks "talk" to the flock and are never out of contact, just in protective custody ;-)

 

[JesNflock]

I doubt it and will take the eggs. I've lost a couple days to strep and just made the discovery today. She was sitting on both the chicks and the eggs, but in the past a broody usually loses interest in the chicks upon resumption of laying.

Ugggh..I hate being sick. I hope you can shake it quick!
Lol I thought it would be pretty hard for her to do both.
Those big ones don't show a lot of mercy on the little guys do they? lol (I have a mixed flock and have to keep the Silkie chicks food in where the juveniles can't get inside to eat it, but the chicks can, and so they can run & hide from them in there too lol) I had to intervene one day because one of the juveniles(BR) pecked one of the chicks hard (the chick just crouched down in fear and basically let him). I saw later it really had been hard because it drew a little blood...the chicks have since learned to RUN away from the juvies and hide if need be. ( I still get nervous with them near each other though so I keep a close eye)

 

[Farmer Viola]

It's winter here and I am brooding chicks indoors. I did have a broody with part of these chicks (the silkies), but sadly, she started becoming very aggressive and I had to separate her from them

Their first brooder was a rubbermaid, then they moved up to a large carboard box that a freezer came in. The freezer packaging included a hard plastic bottom for this box. And I also have clear plastic sheeting in the bottom, below the bedding, to keep it dry.

The latest brooder expansion added a wire dog crate onto the cardboard box. This is kind of their playing, forraging, flying area now.

they have a brinsea brooder on the right, the red lights are not for heat

I put up cardboard walls in the dog crate to try and contain the pine shavings, it sorta worked

 

[JesNflock]

It's winter here and I am brooding chicks indoors. I did have a broody with part of these chicks (the silkies), but sadly, she started becoming very aggressive and I had to separate her from them

Their first brooder was a rubbermaid, then they moved up to a large carboard box that a freezer came in. The freezer packaging included a hard plastic bottom for this box. And I also have clear plastic sheeting in the bottom, below the bedding, to keep it dry.

The latest brooder expansion added a wire dog crate onto the cardboard box. This is kind of their playing, forraging, flying area now.

they have a brinsea brooder on the right, the red lights are not for heat

I put up cardboard walls in the dog crate to try and contain the pine shavings, it sorta worked

Very creative! I love repurposing! Are those particular CFLs? I tried to use a CFL for some 4 week old chicks that still needed a bit of warmth but it didn't give off very much heat at all so I switched to a different bulb. (Maybe the CFL I had was just to low in wattage)



Edited to add: I didn't see that you said the red bulbs weren't for heat and that you had a separate brooder for that. Whoops

 

[Farmer Viola]

the red lights are to create light only, not heat
the chicks have a Brinsea brooder on the left side of the photo above
http://www.brinsea.com/prod-EcoGlow_50_Chick_Brooder-256.aspx

 

[ChickenCanoe]

CFLs give off very little heat, that's why they are efficient and last longer than incandescent. LEDs generate even less and why they last even longer and are extremely efficient.
For heat, I like to use infrared ceramic emitters. They break less frequently than infrared lamps so even though they're more pricey, in the long run they're cost effective.
With ceramic, I can give the chicks the amount of day light I want with the CFLs.