Where did they come from???

[KettermanHillCoop]

Oh...found this random filthy egg in the run today...although NOT from today. Put it in a cup with water and it stayed on the bottom. Good to eat...after a good washing???

 

[Molpet]

that should work for a week or s for hen and chicks.. needs a top to keep the other hens out
crack the egg in a bowl to check, but should be good

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

that should work for a week or s for hen and chicks.. needs a top to keep the other hens out
crack the egg in a bowl to check, but should be good

Okay, that answers my question of how high to make that temporary wall. Will Miss Mocha be content to "live" in that brooder area with the chicks until they are big enough to navigate the ramp? Or do I have to let her "out"? Is the chick feed good enough for Miss Mocha too?

 

[pennyJo1960]

she will be alright they are not nursing them like a dog

 

[Molpet]

Okay, that answers my question of how high to make that temporary wall. Will Miss Mocha be content to "live" in that brooder area with the chicks until they are big enough to navigate the ramp? Or do I have to let her "out"? Is the chick feed good enough for Miss Mocha too?

chick feed is good enough for them all.. I feed everyone chick feed (when there are chicks) until they go to grower.. I feed grower year round otherwise. I get a better hatch rate.. oyster shells always available.

 

[cavemanrich]

Just throwing my 2 pesos in. I have a mess of these around and do use them. The quart jar keeps a good amount of feed in reserve. EZ to see when refilling is due. Chicks do need an open water source. They are not capable of using horizontal nipples yet. Just a thought,,,,,,,, can you remove the board separating the 2 nesting boxes temporarily. Chicks are not that wise at 1 or 2 days old to find food that is not readily in front of them. They eat constantly, but obviously small amounts. This way, they can get some chow , and run under momma to get some warmth. Then repeat.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

Just throwing my 2 pesos in. I have a mess of these around and do use them. The quart jar keeps a good amount of feed in reserve. EZ to see when refilling is due. Chicks do need an open water source. They are not capable of using horizontal nipples yet. Just a thought,,,,,,,, can you remove the board separating the 2 nesting boxes temporarily. Chicks are not that wise at 1 or 2 days old to find food that is not readily in front of them. They eat constantly, but obviously small amounts. This way, they can get some chow , and run under momma to get some warmth. Then repeat.
View attachment 1336047

Super cool! I have a gazillion mason jars (I do jarring) so this is a great way to have multiple stations.

As for the nesting boxes...unfortunately, the dividers aren't removable. Will Mama show the babies the grub?

 

[cavemanrich]

Another question... The coop (where the broody area is located) is elevated off the ground with a ramp leading to the under portion of the coop and the run. Will Miss Mocha teach the chicks to navigate the ramp without falling off the sides or must I carry them down or teach them?

See if you can raise the floor level to be same as bottom of nesting boxes. If chicks fall off, they will be SOL.
An idea, is to temporarily place a bale of hay or what ever else, and a platform of plywood on top. This way the lil ones running around (and they will run) will have a flat area, with no chance of falling to a lower area, where they would not be able to return from on their own.
After all is over, remove the temporary rigging.

 

[cavemanrich]

As for the nesting boxes...unfortunately, the dividers aren't removable. Will Mama show the babies the grub?

Who is the BOSS in the coop,,,,,,,,

I seriously would cut out a portion of that divider. (or as much as possible out) NO SMOKE,,,, and you know I mean this in a sincere way. You can always patch the divider afterwards.

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

See if you can raise the floor level to be same as bottom of nesting boxes. If chicks fall off, they will be SOL.
An idea, is to temporarily place a bale of hay or what ever else, and a platform of plywood on top. This way the lil ones running around (and they will run) will have a flat area, with no chance of falling to a lower area, where they would not be able to return from on their own.
After all is over, remove the temporary rigging.

The nest boxes are floor level with a "lip" to go over to go in. But floor of coop and floor of nest box are the same. The depth of the bedding has both areas the same level... My coop is elevated...with a ramp leading down to run and under coop area.

This is a pic during construction....