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[henless]

Thanks! I built mine to deal with our intense summer heat. Winter time, I put up clear plastic and a couple of tarps for wind break. South side stays open all year long.

I ended up just dividing up my big coop. Since she was nesting in the middle coop, I thought she might be more likely to stay on her nest if I kept her there.

I had her in a pet taxi with her "eggs", but decide it was really too small once chicks are added. I thought about making a run to town to get one a bit bigger, then thought about using the bottom of our small dog house.

I slid it under the nests. I also boarded them up so she couldn't get back in there. She went & got something to eat/drink while I was switching the nests out. She came and got right back on once I had finished. I'm going to give her a few days before getting chicks.




She's still growly!

 

[Beekissed]

Perfect!!! Great nest for a broody and babies to come. She certainly looks like a determined broody...I think she'll do just fine when you give her chicks.

I put another broody in the maternity ward last night, gave her 20 eggs.

 

[canesisters]

OH MY!!! The broody death stare!

The nice thing about broodys and foster chicks is that if something goes wrong - she rejects them, decides she's done, whatever - it's not all that hard to drop them in a box and raise them for a few weeks.
Best of luck with her! Watching a mama raise chicks is so much fun.

 

[henless]

Looks like the soonest I can get some buff chicks will be April 26. Nobody around here as buff chicks or even hatching eggs. She'll be sitting about 2 1/2 wks by then. I guess that's still a little shorter than hatching.

 

[henless]

Chicks arrived today. Operation chick swap will take place tonight. Keep your fingers crossed & prayers that she accepts them.

 

[baymule]

I hope that she is proud to be a momma!

 

[henless]

Chicks are under momma. She never got mad and has made a few cooing noises. So far so good. We'll find out in the morning.

 

[canesisters]

Aaaaaand?????

 

[henless]

All is well on the nest front.




Bee, how are your broodies doing?

 

[Beekissed]

All is well on the nest front.

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Bee, how are your broodies doing?

Driving me mad, as per usual. Broody 1 is currently showing her young how to sleep in the nest boxes in the main coop. If they can get up to the nest box, they can get on the roosts....last time she had hers up on the roosts pretty quickly.

Broody 2 had her brood out on the soils for the first time and they were fighting over earthworms just like the big birds...3 days old and already fight like maniacs over worms. Gave me a chuckle to watch it.

Foster Mama/Broody 3 is sitting on 4 foster chicks from Broody 2's interrupted hatch(late hatch chicks), while 3 more of that same hatch are on a heating pad in my bedroom, awaiting placement under foster mama tonight. I'll let her and the chicks out of the nest for the first time tomorrow.

Broody 4 was placed on a clutch of 16 eggs last night and blocked into the nest so she doesn't get confused and leave her eggs to grow cold like Broody 2 did when Broody 1 had her chicks in the maternity ward. Hence the delayed hatching of several chicks.

So....it's a broody scramble and the most problematic one I've ever had. But...I'm learning. Always learning. What NOT to do next year.