UK Member Please Say HI

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi. I'm here to see the site and hopefully ask some questions for you guys to help . I find the site great as I love keeping chickens. I've just moved in to a new house. Big garden so I've gone and got myself 2 pullets . Just had the 2nd egg.

it's so exiting.x

Welcome to the thread and BYC

A big garden should always warrant some chickens Congrats on your second egg! Always so exciting to find those little treasures

 

[newchickmama91]

How sweet! Congratulations

Thankyou I've finally joined in with the waterfowl! They are messier than my chicks but they sure are cuddlier

 

[rebrascora]

OK, well cancel what I said about no more chicks.....I now have two apparently orphaned, tiny pheasant or grouse chicks ( I have no experience of game birds) that were found by a friend running around on the roadside without a mother....(there were 3 when she first saw them but could only find two when she went back).... and a surfeit of broody hens wanting chicks, so Daisy has been given the chance to adopt them. The chicks were pretty stressed so it took a while for them to go under her and stay there but eventually they stayed put and stopped cheeping. I just hope she bonds with them and protects them as she is in there with several other broodies, but she is senior and experienced at raising chicks and seemed most accepting of them, so at least they have a chance. I will have to dash out to the feed store tomorrow and get some chick crumb for them. I assume pheasant chicks will be ok with chick crumb. My friend gave them a couple of little worms from the garden which they ate but they wouldn't touch scrambled egg. They are unbelievably tiny and still fluffy, so can't be more than a few days old.
Fingers crossed they are still alive in the morning.

 

[newchickmama91]

OK, well cancel what I said about no more chicks.....I now have two apparently orphaned, tiny pheasant or grouse chicks ( I have no experience of game birds) that were found by a friend running around on the roadside without a mother....(there were 3 when she first saw them but could only find two when she went back).... and a surfeit of broody hens wanting chicks, so Daisy has been given the chance to adopt them. The chicks were pretty stressed so it took a while for them to go under her and stay there but eventually they stayed put and stopped cheeping. I just hope she bonds with them and protects them as she is in there with several other broodies, but she is senior and experienced at raising chicks and seemed most accepting of them, so at least they have a chance. I will have to dash out to the feed store tomorrow and get some chick crumb for them. I assume pheasant chicks will be ok with chick crumb. My friend gave them a couple of little worms from the garden which they ate but they wouldn't touch scrambled egg. They are unbelievably tiny and still fluffy, so can't be more than a few days old.
Fingers crossed they are still alive in the morning.  

Chick crumb will be fine my quail are on it and it says it can be fed to game birds. That's so sad! But so nice of you to take them in. Broody hens are amazing aren't they to take in chicks that aren't their own. If you could pop some photos on tomorrow or whenever I'd love to see them

 

[rebrascora]

@newchickmama91

Thanks for confirming that. I just remembered that I have a pack of dried meal worms that they will almost certainly enjoy, as will Daisy until I can get to the feed store.... assuming the chicks are still alive in the morning. One or two of the other broodies were having a bit peck at them when I was trying to graft them and I didn't want to move Daisy somewhere strange in case she didn't settle and they got cold. Hopefully by morning she will have bonded and be protecting them. I've had to lock everyone down with this fox problem, so I'm trying to figure out where I can put them tomorrow until I can fix up a broody enclosure. That pen is already overcrowded now that they can't free range.
I'm afraid taking photos will be low on my list of priorities tomorrow but will do my best to get some once I have made them a safe enclosure and transferred them and fed and watered all the other beasties.

Your ducklings are amazingly cute. How old are they?

 

[newchickmama91]

@newchickmama91


Thanks for confirming that. I just remembered that I have a pack of dried meal worms that they will almost certainly enjoy, as will Daisy until I can get to the feed store.... assuming the chicks are still alive in the morning. One or two of the other broodies were having a bit peck at them when I was trying to graft them and I didn't want to move Daisy somewhere strange in case she didn't settle and they got cold. Hopefully by morning she will have bonded and be protecting them. I've had to lock everyone down with this fox problem, so I'm trying to figure out where I can put them tomorrow until I can fix up a broody enclosure. That pen is already overcrowded now that they can't free range.
I'm afraid taking photos will be low on my list of priorities tomorrow but will do my best to get some once I have made them a safe enclosure and transferred them and fed and watered all the other beasties.

Your ducklings are amazingly cute. How old are they?

Wow sounds like you have your hands full! Mine love mealworms as soon as they hear me get the tub out they all shoot up lol. As it's morning I hope the chicks are alive and well with their new mummy. They are really cute but they don't know what sleep is I don't think as they screamed the house down looking for me so I had to try and sleep with one hand in the brooder haha. They are 7 days old Indian runners.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

OK, well cancel what I said about no more chicks.....I now have two apparently orphaned, tiny pheasant or grouse chicks ( I have no experience of game birds) that were found by a friend running around on the roadside without a mother....(there were 3 when she first saw them but could only find two when she went back).... and a surfeit of broody hens wanting chicks, so Daisy has been given the chance to adopt them. The chicks were pretty stressed so it took a while for them to go under her and stay there but eventually they stayed put and stopped cheeping. I just hope she bonds with them and protects them as she is in there with several other broodies, but she is senior and experienced at raising chicks and seemed most accepting of them, so at least they have a chance. I will have to dash out to the feed store tomorrow and get some chick crumb for them. I assume pheasant chicks will be ok with chick crumb. My friend gave them a couple of little worms from the garden which they ate but they wouldn't touch scrambled egg. They are unbelievably tiny and still fluffy, so can't be more than a few days old.
Fingers crossed they are still alive in the morning.  

Babies for you Barbara

You can get game bird feed (crumb, grower, finisher) but it costs way more than the normal chick crumb and I know at our feed place you have to order game bird stuff in. It's higher protein for fattening them up and I'm guessing your not going to fatten them up, release and shoot them so they will be good on the chick crumb
Maybe mum got taken or run over?

Wow sounds like you have your hands full! Mine love mealworms as soon as they hear me get the tub out they all shoot up lol. As it's morning I hope the chicks are alive and well with their new mummy. They are really cute but they don't know what sleep is I don't think as they screamed the house down looking for me so I had to try and sleep with one hand in the brooder haha. They are 7 days old Indian runners.

They sound a handful! I found with the goslings that I had to be cruel to be kind and ignore them :/
Are you using a lamp or a heat plate?

 

[newchickmama91]

Babies for you Barbara

You can get game bird feed (crumb, grower, finisher) but it costs way more than the normal chick crumb and I know at our feed place you have to order game bird stuff in. It's higher protein for fattening them up and I'm guessing your not going to fatten them up, release and shoot them so they will be good on the chick crumb
Maybe mum got taken or run over?
They sound a handful! I found with the goslings that I had to be cruel to be kind and ignore them :/
Are you using a lamp or a heat plate?

I tried up until around 2 I couldn't take it anymore even my polish chicks looked annoyed lol. Using a lamp! Do ducklings nibble? When I'm holding them they seem to nibble every part of me they can get hold of it doesn't hurt one bit it actually tickles lol. I just want to make sure they aren't doing it because they are scared or something

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

The goslings I had nibbled anything and everything!

They may take a while settle yes but they know if they scream you will come running! I found it a tad easier on a night as I used a Brinsea eco glow heat plate so with it being dark they knew it was night and sleep time. That's not saying they didn't try the tact of making a row at first to see if I would come to them.

Some ear plugs might be helpful?

 

[newchickmama91]

The goslings I had nibbled anything and everything!

They may take a while settle yes but they know if they scream you will come running! I found it a tad easier on a night as I used a Brinsea eco glow heat plate so with it being dark they knew it was night and sleep time. That's not saying they didn't try the tact of making a row at first to see if I would come to them.

Some ear plugs might be helpful?

I might invest in one if it'll help i don't want them to spoilt lol. It's pretty cute when they nibble they do it to my face and then quickly pass out with their bill leaning on me hilarious little birds! When can they go in water?