[arrowni]

Hi folks, I have a couple of problems I need some advice on. First of all one of my 2hens has not come out of her house for about 3 days and I am not sure if she is eating or not so I placed some seed in with her. When I did she made like a purring noise. The fact she is sitting puffed out I think she is sitting on an egg but I didn't want to touch her as it seems to stressing her so I am letting nature take its course. Could anything else be wrong??

Secondly I bought 2 wee chicks yesterday and I am guessing they are about a week old but I am unsure what to ffed them. Nowhere is open to buy feed for them so I have given them porridge, bread crumbs, water and some of the seed I have for my other birds. I have them in my kitchen in a cardboard box with a spotlight shining in which I put on for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time and then switch off fo upto a couple of hours apart from nightime where the light is off all night.

Am I doing the right thing??

[Vember]

Hi Arrowni

The hen in the nest that's purring sounds to me like she's broody. I'd take her off the nest and pop her outside she'll do a huge poop have some food and water and if she is broody will then make her way back to the hen house

The chicks need to be on chick crumbs, add a bit of hard boiled egg yolk to what you are giving them and try to get the crumbs asap
They should be under approx 33deg c if a week old with the heat being gradually reduced

If your hen is broody and you were able to house her separate from the others it MAY be possible to introduce the chicks to her but this doesn't always work and you would need to keep a very keen eye on them


Sarah

[arrowni]

Thank you so much. I will lift the hen out either tomorrow or the next day but I am worried she won't go back in to whatever eggs she is nesting on.

To do with the chicks it will be Wednesday before I can get any chick meal as the shops will be shut for the easter holidays. But I will give them a constant supply of bread crumbs, porridge mixed with the yolk of a boiled egg in the meantime.