Natanya
Songster
- Aug 2, 2017
- 60
- 55
- 107
I've ordered 3 one-day-old chickens that will be ready to be picked up February 24th, a silkie pullet named Marshmallow, and a couple golf balls. Marshmallow is currently 5mo 3wks old, will be exactly 6mo old when I give her the golf balls, and will be 6mo 3wks old when the babies arrive. She's due for her first egg here in the next couple months, but hasn't laid anything yet.
I want to try putting the golf balls where Marshmallow usually sleeps between February 1st-3rd, in the hopes that she'll assume they're eggs and start brooding them, so I can replace the golf balls with the newly arrived baby chicks on the 24th.
I don't expect this plan to work, but I figure it's worth a shot since having a live hen on the babies will be better than a heat lamp- I think. Is an inexperienced mother a risk to baby chickens? Might she accidentally smother them?
I like the idea of the babies having a mom and Marshmallow getting experience with raising babies, but I'll be ready to set up the same brooder that I raised Marshmallow and her siblings in a few months ago.
I want to try putting the golf balls where Marshmallow usually sleeps between February 1st-3rd, in the hopes that she'll assume they're eggs and start brooding them, so I can replace the golf balls with the newly arrived baby chicks on the 24th.
I don't expect this plan to work, but I figure it's worth a shot since having a live hen on the babies will be better than a heat lamp- I think. Is an inexperienced mother a risk to baby chickens? Might she accidentally smother them?
I like the idea of the babies having a mom and Marshmallow getting experience with raising babies, but I'll be ready to set up the same brooder that I raised Marshmallow and her siblings in a few months ago.