2 weeks old and 12 babies are getting too big for the brooder. normally, i would i set up the second box i have and divide them. BUT its that wonderful time of year where i can put these lil guys into the coop with the adults early. over the last week they’ve only been in this brooder at night anyway.
time for my babies to live outside!
had to put Left Beef (the rooster) in a time-out for a while. he lost his fucking mind when i added these guys to his turf. but he’s cool now, still a bit on edge, but he cool.
to be fair, i’d freak out too if someone dumped a dozen children in my house.
I lov the children!
Where did you get that water dispenser? That’s a really clever design, the little lever for them to peck to get water into the bowl. Seems like a nice compromise between the nipple waterers (sometimes hard for birds) and bowls (too easy to get messy).
So rather than spend $80+ on an “electric hen” I just made one myself for about $15. Basically, it’s a heat mat (facing down) built into a sloped stand creating this little pocket of heat so chicks can get in under it to get warm. Just like they do with a mama hen.
Added a bit of cardboard over the top because their birds, they will poop on it. And replacing that bit of cardboard is easier than cleaning the heat mat.
Merlin, Buckley, and Prairie
Merlin was the first to hatch, but he is TINY. Buckley was second and is pretty normal, very round. Prairie was last to hatch but is the biggest and already has feathers growing in. All three are strong and acting normal for chicks their age (less than 24 hours).
I’m gonna die. Y’all out there just like “that’s wrong!” “cannibalism!” “awful!”
Eggs are not chicken. They’re not children. They’re a nutritious container that has the ability to grow a baby, but not until it’s been incubated for several days. Until then it’s just food. Eggs are full of protein and a very rewarding snack, cooked or raw. Very healthy for these babes, especially during winter when there aren’t any bugs to feed them which is what Momma Pepsi would be giving them. As you can see in the video, she’s perfectly content with this substitute!
The hens outside get really excited when we collect eggs because if there happens to be a dirty one then we just crack and give it to them right there. I’ve never met a chicken that didn’t love eating eggs!
Some frogs ans fish literally produce extra eggs to feed their young. It is a part of their reproductive strategy.
It’s not always the best plan to give chickens an egg right out of the coop, some might start breaking all the eggs to eat them, but egg certainly isn’t going to hurt your chickens. Nor is it creepy to give them an egg.
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