Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: johen on August 21, 2011, 21:16
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Hi , just wondered if anyone has any advice,
We have had a very good hatch, having been told that the eggs we had were of dubious fertility, we got 12, 7 of which we put under our silkie (6 hatched) the remaining 5 we put into an old incubator (3 of which hatched) the incubator eggs hatched a little later than the ones under the silkie, but still within 1 day of the last of her eggs hatching, all are black, apart from 1 brown flecked chick which hatched out in the incubator, we introduced the 3 incubator chicks to her which she fluffed up under her that night, today though we have noticed her attacking the different coloured chick :(, so we have removed it and have set up a make do brooder with a old plastic storage box , a suspended 100watt light bulb and a surrogate mop head mum, rejected chick is not happy though, keeps cheeping and is very upset, could it be missing the other chicks? will it be ok being reared on it's own? Should I get a proper brooder? What kind of temperature should the chick be kept at?
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Hi, ahhh your post is really positive hatch wise but really sad about the odd one out :0(
I'm no expert and am sure someone will come along shortly to advise. I'm certain chicks would generally thrive under mama hen much better but clearly there is reason to think other wise here. However I'd have thought at least another chick with it would be kinder and nicer or am I being soft?! At least they can both cuddle up with the mop head together against someone warm who cheeps back :D Very best of luck, if you were in kent I'd come and collect it and put with mine :tongue2:
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Sorry to hear about the little one. Sometimes a hen will reject a chick because of it's colour, but it is rare. Don't give up and keep placing the chick under her (at night, when's she's almost asleep), but you must be there as early as possible to make sure the chick isn't attacked.If you see that happening, then the chick must be removed immediately. Try it for a couple of nights and if it doesn't work, you will need to brood her seperately. It may be best to get another chick to keep her company as they really don't do well on their own.
Temperatures for brooding - place a thermometer under the light souce on the bedding and it should read about 34C for the first week. After that, you can reduce the temperature by 2C each week until it's eventually turned off. As a good guide look at the chick - if it's up and doing "chicky" things it's a good temperature, if huddled underneath, it's too cool or if panting and crowded as far away from the heat as possible, it's too warm.
A domestic light bulb isn't the best solution as in order to provide heat, it must be on 24hrs and to give the chick 24hr light can lead to problems later on when they intergrate into the flock and are met with dark nights they have never seen before. Try and get a dull emitter or infra red bulb as these will provide a more reliable heat and reduce the impact of 24hr light. Good luck!
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Hi thanks for your replies, we didn't dare put the chick back under her last night, so she's still under the light, but we've been out this morning and got a infra red brooder and have just found some similar aged chicks to keep it company which I'm about to go to pick up. Wish I'd have known that it might have been worth trying again under the silkie, cause I'm sure that if it'd worked it would be by far the best and most successful method of rearing. Any way if we've got a broody lamp thing going might as well have a few instead of just 1, only concern is that the chicks we're picking up are bantams which are 3 days older, fingers crossed.
thanks for the advice re temp, I think we had the poor thing a bit too cold last night,
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it is extremely rare for a broody to reject a chick but it can happen which is why I have a brooder box and an electric hen always on standby. You did the right thing. Glad you have got it some little friends lined up as they do like company - good luck.