Advice please I have baby chicks

[Lawso]

Hi everyone. I am new to this group. New to chickens ( had them for about 7 years) my girls have all past except one 7 yr old Isa brown. I decided I wanted different breeds and a rooster. I have 1 Plymouth 2 light Sussex 1 Isa cross 1 isa. 2 golden lace Wyandotte and a Wyandotte rooster. A couple kept going clucky and in the end after several attempts to stop them I thought gosh if your that keen to have babies then ok. Silly me didn’t know the other hens were getting in her box and laying. Took me two days to work it out and by this time she was sitting on about 10 eggs Anyway she hatched 3 and all was good then she hopped off the nest and left the eggs.
Thankfully my Plymouth hen was clucky and along side her in another basket so I picked her up and she continued to set the other eggs. But she kept killing the babies as they were born. I lost 2. I take the eggs from her that were starting to hatch. I have successfully helped 3 babies and all doing well. (4 or 5 eggs to go!) They are 1day old and 12 hours old. I have them on wood shavings and a heat lamp. Water and food in there.
How do I do this? How do I raise them up. I have read and read and read. It’s mostly a timeline I am looking for I guess. When to do things. ( take away heat, let them out on grass, introduce to flock. Ect ect.
I live in Australia and it’s very hot here atm.
I am not making this a career I just want them to survive. I adore all of my girls.
Can they be successfully put under another clucky hen ? If it’s not recommended then that’s ok I just wanted to know. Thank you

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, you're doing great so far. Do you have another broody hen? If so, you can try putting the hatched babies under her at night and with any luck she'll accept them and raise them for you, but watch her carefully and be prepared to take them away if she does not accept them. If that happens let us know and we will guide you from there. Thry will need some heat for about three weeks, dropping down by about 5 degrees a week until they are at ambient remperature.

 

[Lawso]

Thank you. Yes I do have another one that’s clucky. I will try this tonight and let you know. Thank you again for your time.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If a broody hen raises them, she will intoduce them to the flock and should protect them, she can do that pretty much any time. If you raise them,... well different people do things differently. I keep mine in the house for three weeks then move them to an outside brooder, where they share a fence with the big flock. This way they get acquainted in a "see-no-touch" situation, and at eight weeks we open the gate and let them mingle. We've never had any problems.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Great! Good luck!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@NatJ or @Mrs. K Do you have any suggestions here?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I live in Australia and it’s very hot here atm.

Welcome To BYC

Can you post a photo of the whole brooder?

You mention it's very hot in AU right now. Just looking at your photo with the heat lamp and the position the chicks have taken up hiding behind the feed station, they are avoiding the lamp. Likely it's too hot in your brooder.

Please get a temperature of the brooder.

The brooder only needs one warm spot and let the rest be cool. Since weather is hot (how hot is it?), they may not even need extra heat except for when the night gets a bit cooler.

IF you have a very broody hen that has been sitting for at least 14days, then you can try to see if she will accept the chicks. You just never know. Some broody hens will accept any and all chicks while others will not.

How do you raise them. Ensure they have food/water, it looks like you have that covered!
How is your set up = do you have a coop/run, do you let your flock roam, photos may be helpful on that.
IF you have a secured area, you could brood your chicks outdoors since you have hot weather - they will need shelter and likely some deep shade in hot weather, just like the adults do.

Timelines can vary. So don't get hung up too much on that. When the chicks have feathered out, then you might be able to start introducing them to the flock and let them roam about. A lot depend on the flock, how well they accept "newbies" etc. Integration can have challenges.

How do I do this? How do I raise them up. I have read and read and read. It’s mostly a timeline I am looking for I guess. When to do things. ( take away heat, let them out on grass, introduce to flock. Ect ect.
I live in Australia and it’s very hot here atm.
I am not making this a career I just want them to survive. I adore all of my girls.
Can they be successfully put under another clucky hen ?

 

[Lawso]

Thank you. This helps. Yes I move the light up and down. I did notice they were trying to get away from the heat. I just thought given they can’t self regulate their temperature I thought it would be best to leave it on in there. I can turn it off during the day as they are in my shed and it’s hot enough in there without the light having to be on. We are in the low 30s regarding daytime temperatures. I slept in an outdoor chair next to them all night. One couldn’t get out of the shell. I was worried and read leave them alone but she just needed help so I picked some shell only no membrane to help her. Second one was out like a bull out a gate! The third one I actually went to sleep in my own bed and set an alarm for 2 hours and got up and she was out. I feel lucky they are ok. I have attached some photos for you of around the coop. We have foxes and snakes that’s all. But I leave dogs out and we haven’t had many here near the hens at all. They free range one day during the week and on weekends as I am home and in case Something goes wrong. I was given 5 Guinea fowls which also live with the chickens. They are about 1 yr old now.
Hope I’ve answered all your questions and look forward to your guidance
Many thanks I didn’t know I can brood them out side without a mum at only a few days old?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You have a nice big area!

You can brood them outdoors as long as they have a secured area where predators cannot reach them. Snakes, dogs, fox, rats, etc., all like chick(en)s.

With your temps in the low 30s (Celcius), they likely do not need much heat during the day, but nighttime, do provide a warm spot for them. The brooder needs to be large enough so the chicks can move about and get completely away from heat if necessary. Place food/water on the cool side of the brooder.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We are in the low 30s regarding daytime temperatures.

Obviously Celsius. The Fahrenheit equivalent is about 85 degrees. Sounds nice to me right now.

I didn’t know I can brood them out side without a mum at only a few days old?

The chicks need a warm enough spot during the coolest temperatures and a cool enough spot during the warmest. With the temperature swings that is the biggest challenge to brooding outside. I solve that by having a brooder big enough that I can keep one corner toasty in the coldest temperatures but let the far corner cool off to ambient. I find the chicks are excellent at moving to where they are comfortable.

I put chicks in my outside brooder straight from the incubator when the outside temperature is below freezing. One area stays toasty while another may have frost. I put chicks in there in the middle of summer. During one heat wave, daytime temps above 43 C (110 F) I turned the daytime heat off at 2 days and the nighttime heat off at 5 days. I should have done it earlier, their body language was telling me they did not need it.

The chicks do not care of they are inside or outside. They need food, water, protection from predators, and protection from the elements like rain, wind, and extreme heat or cold.

Good luck!