Water for newly hatched chicks with Broody? *Pic for pleasure...

[triggfamily5]

The is my first go round at successfully hatching eggs under a broody! Well for that matter at all!!!

I have two broody's. One is penned below the nest in a broody area with food and water, not worried about her and the chicks. I only separated her because she was always going in the wrong box, and was submissive to the other hens.

I do have a broody in a nest box, a couple feet of the ground. She is aggressive and very good, so I let her be (plus I didn't have another spot).

Here is my question: She started hatching and it's REALLY hot... Should I put something in their for them to drink? Like a part of an orange, or a butter dish of water?

I am so worried about her getting them out of there too??? So far I see 3 babies out of 6 (shipped, already got rid of 2 that didn't hatch for a total of 8) They are Polish and Silkies, hoping for pure, but may still be mixed due to separation time from roosters.

Here is a pic for your troubles

 

[easttxchick]

If you don't have a waterer with the tiny little quail dish, put some water in a shallow bowl with some marbles or rocks or something so they can't drown.

 

[triggfamily5]

I'll see if I have something that will fit in the nest box with her then. I have nothing for quail, but I have marbles for water dishes for when I have chicks in a brooder that I buy at the store.

We just got done moving things around. Apparently the broody on the bottom is scared of her peeping eggs and has killed 2 of them, and broke the outer shell on a third (it's still peeping). We took her out and moved her eggs under the broody on top that is hatching successfully.

Learning lesson: I know next time to have my incubator up and running for hatch time just in case.

 

[easttxchick]

Darn, I'm sorry you lost 2.
I'm sad to say my blasted incubator has been running pretty much non-stop since January. If you lived closer to me, you could just drop them by-I need to put up a sign outside that says "Emergency Incubation Done Here".

 

[Mrs. K]

I put out glass pie plates, in addition to the chick waterer. It is so hot, that I am afraid of them running out of water. My brooddies, also just hatched, and they had their chicks outside in the shade today! They were tearing off the tiny tender leaves off the weeds through the fence, and feeding it to the babies. So cute.

 

[RioLindoAz]

I put a rabbit waterer in with my broodies. No evaporation and no spills. Who doesn't hate a wet, stinky nest?

~RLAZ