Natural breeding thread

[BDutch]

They’re behind her in the video!View attachment 4101420

I couldn’t open the video.

 

[TexasBlues]

I have a determined broody. She’s some kind of Easter egger Maran cross and about a year old. I put 10 eggs under her including 2 of hers.

 

[NatJ]

Yes. Only chick feed with oyster shell on the side for the adult hens. Until the chicks are about 14 weeks old. From then on I let them choose.
This is a personal choice. Not what people normally advice. All flock is not an option where I live.

In the USA, when I read the nutrition labels and the ingredients on the bags, it looks like all flock and chick starter are the same thing, just with a different label. Chick starter is always crumbles (little bits of food for little chicks), while all flock sometimes offers a choice of crumbles or pellets. But all flock crumbles or chick starter crumbles do not have any differences that I can detect.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I'm trying to figure out if I can chick-proof our run. The run is made with wire fencing that has 2"x4" cells. We can add 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom to contain chicks.

How high up would the hardware cloth need to go? 16"? 2 feet? 3 feet? 4 feet? 5 feet?

 

[BDutch]

I'm trying to figure out if I can chick-proof our run. The run is made with wire fencing that has 2"x4" cells. We can add 1/2" hardware cloth around the bottom to contain chicks.

How high up would the hardware cloth need to go? 16"? 2 feet? 3 feet? 4 feet? 5 feet?

I suppose 2 feet should be enough to keep the chicks in.
But if you have predators who can climb higher or fly trough 2X4” you might need to cover it all. And cover the bottom round the fence too. Chicks are a nice snack for many predators that are not interested in chickens.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I suppose 2 feet should be enough to keep the chicks in.
But if you have predators who can climb higher or fly trough 2X4” you might need to cover it all. And cover the bottom round the fence too. Chicks are a nice snack for many predators that are not interested in chickens.

Shoot, I hadn't thought about that. Chicks might be a target for rock (ground) squirrels and snakes. We haven't seen any snakes here in years. Doesn't mean there aren't any, we just haven't seen them.

Squirrels are a problem. They eat eggs and birds. A large colony moved into the yard when the house was empty. We're battling them hard right now. They've never gone after our adult hens but they might try to get at chicks.

 

[TOMTE]

Shoot, I hadn't thought about that. Chicks might be a target for rock (ground) squirrels and snakes. We haven't seen any snakes here in years. Doesn't mean there aren't any, we just haven't seen them.

Squirrels are a problem. They eat eggs and birds. A large colony moved into the yard when the house was empty. We're battling them hard right now. They've never gone after our adult hens but they might try to get at chicks.

I know squirrels are opportunistic omnivores but when they do eat meat it's usually carrion or easy things like nestlings or sick/injured birds. Once chicks are up and running around they won't be such an easy meal and will probably be left alone. Especially if mama hen is protective

But yes, just in case, I do recommend added safety measures!

 

[Wild Iris]

I really appreciate the input a couple days ago. I decided to watch my game hen and see how she behaved before (maybe) moving her & the chicks to a crate. I noticed that she was very intent on teaching them to forage: selecting a good spot and hunting & scratching for bugs or seeds. Only after their lesson would she lead them to the moist feed I kept available for her and the chicks. Every single time, she had them forage for a while--usually in a new spot--before going to the food & water I had out for them. So I left her in the garden area and blocked the more obvious entrances with lattice pieces to discourage other animals from wandering through (though a true predator can still get in).

Now I'm wondering: when she goes broody the next time, what are the chances she will choose the same location? Do game hens tend to keep the same tried-and-true family-raising spots, or do they mix it up to keep predators from learning their habits? If she is likely to use the same area, I will try to arrange things so that I can clean up her nest a little more easily and have the "danger zones" more secured. If she is likely to choose a new place, I want to find her nest and add some eggs from my other hens when she starts collecting them.

 

[Perris]

when she goes broody the next time, what are the chances she will choose the same location? Do game hens tend to keep the same tried-and-true family-raising spots, or do they mix it up to keep predators from learning their habits?

I do not have games but I do have a couple who sometimes nest out. One, who was the first thus raised here, incubated her own first clutch in a coop, and then her second in the same planter where she herself hatched. So it's an extremely small sample, and it's 50:50 so far.

 

[Perris]

I noticed that she was very intent on teaching them to forage: selecting a good spot and hunting & scratching for bugs or seeds. Only after their lesson would she lead them to the moist feed I kept available for her and the chicks. Every single time, she had them forage for a while--usually in a new spot--before going to the food & water I had out for them.

This is good to read. By this foraging she has got their GITs off to a great start.

If you want to try another experiment, see if she still prioritizes forage if you offer some real food, instead of whatever 'moist feed' you have been giving them so far. It need not be meat, fish, or dairy, but I would expect any of them to be preferred.