Silkie hatching silkie and serama eggs outdoors, weather

[CatWhisperer]

My 6 month old silkie went broody and I added some serama eggs to her own. They have started hatching. She is outdoors in a well insulated coop but in 6 years of chicken keeping this is new to me. I raised her and some serama chicks this spring, indoors. I can create a broody area for her in a different coop or move chicks +/- momma indoors. We are predicted to have rain here in northwest Arkansas for 2-3 days starting tomorrow night and temps below freezing Thursday. I will have to have bare floor to supply water and ground food to the chicks. Never been here before. My instinct is to bring them indoors. Not sure whether to bring pullet in with them and when to do anything either. She had 11 eggs under her. Day 21 for the last egg isn’t till Halloween. I also have 4 guineas and 5 Polish cockerels that I’m afraid will kill the chicks if mom can’t defend against them.

 

[azygous]

Two issues. One is protecting the chicks form the older chickens. Sometimes there is no danger and if an adult does eye the chicks, the broody lays down the law. But occasionally the broody can't handle a vicious attack, so why take the chance? Many of us rig a protective barrier for broody and her chicks.

The other is the temperature. Do not bring the chicks indoors. That negates the natural acclimatizing the chicks will undergo being raised outdoors. The broody will generate plenty of heat to keep the chicks warm. Usually. There's always the outside chance a chick gets stranded away from the broody and the broody can't coax it back under her or it can't climb back into the nest if it's higher than an inch or two off the floor.

If you have a way to rig a heat source in case the temps get below freezing, it might be enough to prevent a stranded chick from freezing.

Chicks and broody will need chick feed and water at floor level. A heat source can also keep the water from freezing.

 

[CatWhisperer]

I’m extra worried because of the seramas tiny size. In order to enclose an area I have to move them to a different coop with a concrete floor. Don’t know how to keep food and water for tiny babies clean after the first few days when I put shavings back in. Nor how to keep water from freezing. I have used heated dog bowls for water in the winter for the past 6 years. Obviously these chicks can’t reach that till nearly adult size. This is a first for me as I’ve always had LF that never went broody until this year.