I might open a real can of worms with this one, and believe me, that is NOT my intent! We each have our own ways of doing things, some of them from learning on sites like this one and some by trial and error. We do what we think is best for our setups, our locations, and our own personal comfort zones. If there was only one “right” way to raise these feathered yard-poopers, this entire web site could be read in half an hour! So while what I do is what has worked extremely well for me, it is not intended to tell anyone else to change their keeping methods. There. Disclaimer clearly (I hope) stated.
I guess aside from ordering entirely too early in the year, my other personal big boo-boo was relying on books and experts. Sorry, books and experts.
But a broody doesn’t heat the entire space she and her chicks are in. She doesn’t have night lights under her wings and she doesn’t let them run all over the place after bedtime, eating all night long. She doesn’t wait until they are 7-8 weeks old, or even older, and then put them through integration. She lets them eat whatever she finds - dirt, germs, seeds, bugs and all. She lets them drink out of mud puddles or water collected on sidewalks, with no additives. She provides them a warm, dark place to hide if she warns them about something or if they get spooked. They run all over their environment, on dirt, exploring and learning how to be chickens, and they regulate their own comfort level by ducking under her for a quick warmup, then they’re back out in the chilly air again.
All of that made me wonder......If a two pound hen can do it without all of the “help”, why do we do it so differently and think we’re doing it better? So I put away the books and pulled out my common sense. I duplicate the real experts as closely as possible. And suddenly I’m not stressed, the chicks are calm and confident, and we’re all happy.
Okay, I’ll go away now.
DINOSAURS. 
)
