How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Re: Help with new hatchlings using a broody hen

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Re: [CHICKENS-101] Re: Help with new hatchlings using a broody hen

They're chickens. They eat the darndest stuff. I really think somebody should be doing extensive research on chicken immune systems.

Don't worry about the hen eating chick feed, medicated or not. She'll be fine, and so will the eggs. In fact she probably won't lay any as long as the chicks are still small, maybe 4 to 6 weeks, something like that.

If you can't find plain chick starter, use what goes under various names as starter/grower for ducks, turkeys and gamebirds. The medicated stuff for chickens is apt to kill baby ducks and sometimes these others also, so it's usually available.

Remember, they're chickens, not people. They eat garbage, worms, bugs, small snakes, mice, bread, fruit, veggies, good chips and stuff you wouldn't touch with gloves on, find seeds in manure, love the compost pile where you dumped last week's garbage, mold and all. Eat their own eggs if they break one and discover it's food, and will eat each other, dead or alive, and they'll try to eat you too if you stand there with a bleeding cut. And they thrive on it. They're not much different from alligators in a lot of ways, they're survivors.

Your chances of doing anything wrong are pretty small as long as they have protection, some heat, some kind of food and plenty of water.

Take it easy, let nature do it's thing, all will be fine. Don't stay awake worrying. Just take the leftovers from supper out there on a paper plate and stand back.

And laugh! Watch those one ounce bits of fluff try to fight over it!

Smiles,

Diane S.

----- Original Message -----

From: DBO

To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2013 3:57 AM

Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Re: Help with new hatchlings using a broody hen

The reason I wanted to separate the chicks from the mother hen is because it is difficult to feed them all correctly. I read that if the mother hen was already been vaccinated when she was a chick, then I should not let her eat medicated chick starter because she can then become overmedicated and the eggs won't be safe to eat either. I am having a hard time finding 'unmedicated' chick starter although I finally found a small 7 pound bag of unmedicated chick starter for $9. but at that price, I think I would rather separate the chicks from the mother after they run out of this bag. What does everyone else do?

On another note, sadly I went to check on the chicks and somehow one is missing. It was the first born and was a little darker than the rest. I have the mother hen in a box that is about 6" high sitting on the ground. The only thing I can think of is that the chick must have jumped out of the box and couldn't get back in and squeezed through the fence to the big chicken pen and they must have eaten it because there is no evidence of the poor little thing anywhere. My heart is broken. I guess this was an unfortunate learning experience for me... I will line the brooding enclosure with chicken wire in the future.

Jennie