Tips on a broody hen fostering hatchery chicks

[Gallinarium]

I have 15 chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery coming around the seventh of May. My current sole chicken, Fluffball, went broody on about April 9. My game plan: Build her a ground nesting box. When the chicks come, put them in a wading pool with towels, paper towels, or something similar that I have on hand, (I usually use pine shavings, but probably not the best idea with newly shipped chicks,) for bedding, with medicated Sprout Chick Starter, (It was all Fleet Farm had on hand,) and water. I'm thinking I'll just give them water for the first 15 - 30 minutes to avoid pasting. They'll have a red heat lamp, and this whole setup will probably be indoors. Once it's darker out, I'll put the chicks under Fluffball, who's currently happily sitting on plastic Easter eggs filled with sand. I'm not too worried about the hen accepting the chicks, but the chicks accepting the hen. I don't know exactly how old they'll be, but they said one to two days shipping. The biggest thing I'm worried about right now, is obviously Fluffball is going to be setting much longer than twenty-one days. Can she make it? And what should I feed her to help? Fluffball was today bathed with Adam's Plus Flea and Tick shampoo. I have no idea that should be used on a chicken, but it killed the mites. I'm going to give her another bath a day or two before the chicks, to kill any stragglers. Should I use something else, and if so, what? Below are pictures of Fluffball before her bath, and while she was being held in the coop while I was getting the hair dryer ready, (That is literally the picture of misery .)

So, all in all, here are my questions:

Will Fluffball accept the chicks, and what can I do to help that?
Will the chicks accept Fluffball, and what can I do to help that?
What should I feed Fluffball to help her maintain weight?
Is pet flea and tick shampoo too strong for a chicken, and if it is, what can I use instead?
Am I cruel for photographing a chicken when she's down?

If for any reason something doesn't work out and I panic, I can definitely raise the chicks myself. But I would very much appreciate any advice.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sounds like fun. Since Fluffball is not laying eggs at this time, it is best not to feed her layer formula. It has calcium she does not need and may be hard on her kidneys. The chick feed is fine for her.

 

[Gallinarium]

Personally I'd let her eat the layer until you can get chick feed. Still better than oatmeal and celery, and a little extra calcium isn't going to ruin anything for a couple of days.

I know, it was just for a day. I have the chick food, it was just buried in the shed. She is now happily stuffing her face on chick food.

 

[Gallinarium]

Sounds like fun. Since Fluffball is not laying eggs at this time, it is best not to feed her layer formula. It has calcium she does not need and may be hard on her kidneys. The chick feed is fine for her.

Okay, thanks. I guess I'm cracking open the chickie feed today.

 

[Gallinarium]

Keep us posted, we love pics of baby chicks! (Oh wow, that rhymed!)

Definitely will do, I'm probably going to take about a billion pictures of the new little fuzzies, and I'll post them all. This evening I tied the feeder up higher so she couldn't eat it, to avoid her ingesting too much calcium. I left some celery in there to tide her over until oatmeal in the morning until I dig out the chick food. When she got up she stared up longingly at the feeder for a minute, and promptly started eating the shavings. It was too hard to watch, so I lowered the feeder again. Guess I'm gonna start tomorrow. Chickens, you gotta love em.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Eating the layer feed for a day or two won't kill her.

 

[cavemanrich]

To encourage your Fluffball, to stay broody, I would replace the plastic eggs, with real ones. Non fertile from grocery store would work just fine. One dozen would be fine as well.
I would make the nesting setup inside your coop, not indoors, if you have room. Also, no need for a heater lamp with mama chicken being there. Make the nesting from straw or hay, and keep feeding Fluffball in there with water available also.
Chicks will accept mother hen as mama. Best way to do the swap,,,,,, at night when it is dark, swap out the eggs with chicks. You can do this in 2 separate instances, but 15 chicks is not too many for mama to cover with her wings.
Just feed Fluffball chick feed. It is just fine. chicks and mama will be eating same.
The eggs that you remove during swap, don't toss them. They are fine to boil and feed back to your chicks. They would only be 3 weeks under her, and most likely not spoiled. It is your call, If in doubt, look at them once they are boiled and broken open. That is what I do to mystery eggs that I find in my large run. Some may have been there for a long time. Better to offer to chickens, since I don't want to chance eating old eggs.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[StaffordshireLady]

Yes it's mean taking a photo of someone with their hair (or feathers) wet!

 

[Gallinarium]

To encourage your Fluffball, to stay broody, I would replace the plastic eggs, with real ones. Non fertile from grocery store would work just fine. One dozen would be fine as well.
I would make the nesting setup inside your coop, not indoors, if you have room. Also, no need for a heater lamp with mama chicken being there. Make the nesting from straw or hay, and keep feeding Fluffball in there with water available also.
Chicks will accept mother hen as mama. Best way to do the swap,,,,,, at night when it is dark, swap out the eggs with chicks. You can do this in 2 separate instances, but 15 chicks is not too many for mama to cover with her wings.
Just feed Fluffball chick feed. It is just fine. chicks and mama will be eating same.
The eggs that you remove during swap, don't toss them. They are fine to boil and feed back to your chicks. They would only be 3 weeks under her, and most likely not spoiled. It is your call, If in doubt, look at them once they are boiled and broken open. That is what I do to mystery eggs that I find in my large run. Some may have been there for a long time. Better to offer to chickens, since I don't want to chance eating old eggs.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

She's willing to try and hatch rock, but I'll try the real eggs. The setup is actually outside in the coop, I just meant that the wading pool holding pen will probably be inside. I was intending to feed Fluffball layer feed out of reach for the chicks. I could feed her chick stuff, but should she eat it if it has a coccidiostat?

Thanks for the tips.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Keep us posted, we love pics of baby chicks! (Oh wow, that rhymed!)