The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Brooding with a broody during the winter is fine. But it's those that don't have a mamma that produce a dilemma.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I have one small room outside in my barn that is insulated. I call this my "nursery." It can be very very cold in there. In the different chick pens, I put heating pads that don't "auto off" after two hours. The chicks can get under them or on top of them. I also have a heater in there that I keep on low or if its really cold, such as you describe, I would turn it up. But the heating pads are a life saver. The heater I have is one of those little round dishes that looks something like a satellite dish with a "cage" on the front but this is placed on the floor outside where any chick could get to it.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Lacy Blues
Could you post a photo of your heater? How does it do with all the dust?

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

Dust? Who told you I have dust?

Actually, I take it out every once in a while and blow all the dust out of it so it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@armorfirelady

How are thing going out there? Are you getting some warmer weather this week...supposed to be above 30 for the next 6 or so days here. I haven't had the barn door open (frozen in) for weeks. These birds will not know what to do with themselves when they can go outside.

 

[Shan30]

I hope things start warming up for you guys soon...I won't tell you what our weather is doing here. I don't think the other Canadians are talking to us!

So I'm "hatching" 8 eggs for a friend right now and I'm afraid I have to tell her there won't be any chicks. I've started only candling at day 18 since I never remove possible quitters until lockdown anyways and see no point in messing with the eggs if its not necessary. So for some silly reason I woke up at 5 this morning an decided to candle since its day 18 and every egg only has a small dark shadow near the fat end of the egg. not what I'm used to seeing.

They are her eggs and it would be her first bunch of chicks so she's really excited and I feel terrible. She was certain that they were fertile but I'm not even seeing veins, just clear eggs with a darker shadow at the one end. I've never had this happen. I suppose they could have been mishandled at some point or have a lethal gene or a bacteria or virus.

I guess I'll leave them till hatch day in case I'm nuts and call her when its time for normal people to be awake.

 

[vpatt]

Yes...baby pullets do it too. But so do baby cockerels!

@JulesChicks If you've never had chickens before and they will be going out to a new area where there weren't chickens before, I wouldn't worry about getting any litter from the old place. Just dig a sod plug from the yard area where they will be and put that in with them. That will give them exposure to the area they will be going into. You have to change those silly sod plugs about daily as they really mess them up. I just dig out from a place and then take the plug back out and replace it where I dug it from once it's "used"....then get another and so on.

Well.....I got very small (maybe 4"X4") plugs and they tore them apart and I guess ate them? I didnt know what size to get and there are only the four chicks. I don't see anything left of them, lol. So they got some sand and soil and grass and moss. I also added some coop litter and some partly decomposed leaves I dug out from under the snow. And lots of water and all the chick starter they want. I have moved the light a wee bit further and they seem happy....very active and no distressed peeping. Do you think one of those microwave heat pet pads would be good to use with them? I was thinking for when I begin to put them outside I could put them in their pen and use a cardboard nest with straw and the pad under the straw....maybe wrapped in a towel. When I think they are old enough and the weather is right I could move their "nest" into the big coop after dark and they would have that until i know the weather is warmer. I would still only do field trips to "The Outside World" until they are older......but I was thinking the pad could be there "hen". They are non toxic and hold heat for several hours.

 

[lazy gardener]

Personally, I'd not be comfortable using a microwave heat pad. Too easy for it to be too warm.

 

[vpatt]

I have never used one so I don't know how warm they get. I guess I thought they would not be hot as they are made for pets. I had wanted to get one for my daughters dog....but the pads I found are small and the dog is a. Great Dane. I guess I could get one and see how hot it gets.

I had thought these chicks would be friendly but they are not. They are afraid of us. They are ok seeing us but they don't like having anyone put their hand in with them...even if the hand is trying to feed them.

 

[chicalot]

I thinks chicks you hatch yourself tend to be a lot friendlier than bought chics. I guess because the store chics have been through so much shipping. They'll Come around, Especially When They're Big Enough For Treats.