[bloomer]

Well fingers crossed sometime between friday and sunday we will have chicks.


Am i likely to see any indication from Mrs Broody that things are happening or do i wait for the cheeping of the chicks?


Do i need to change anything in her run for her?


I have chick crumb do i feed only that after they are born or does Mrs Broody need something else?


Thanks Everyone


I promise pictures if they hatch ok!!!

[chrismahon]

Hi Bloomer. Congratulations on your new arrivals -nearly.


We move ours onto fresh very short grass just after hatch but before the chicks venture out because the area is full of big stinky broody poo remnants. The water pot needs to be shallow so the little ones can get to it without falling in and drowning -akin to a puddle. We only put chick crumb (with ACS) in the run as feed. Mother needs building up with it as well. Things to avoid are layers pellets or grain. Layers pellets are fatal to chicks because they can't handle the high Calcium. Grain is too big and they can't digest it with a possibility of gizzard or crop impaction. At around 6 weeks you can feed a treat of crushed grain as long as they have chick grit (we sieve regular grit to get the little bits).


If Mrs Broody is mature I'm sure things will be fine. She will abandon late eggs and it may be worth candling them and putting good lates in an incubator. We have had extra chicks that way.

[bloomer]

mrs broody is only a baby herself born july 2013 but she has sat really tight so i'm really hopeful for some babies...

[Bionic]

I gave my mum and babies hard boiled egg. They couldn't get enough of it.

[chrismahon]

Maybe it's an idea to have the incubator on standby as a hatcher Bloomer and keep a very close eye on her. The only time we let a youngster (under two years) hatch eggs she sat tight then panicked as they hatched -and ate them! We saved two.