Re: maran broody - chicks imminent
- From: fowls@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (nuele mersch)
- Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 20:15:28 +0200
timh <rdc86@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Tim,
> We have 3 at present(it's normally 6 but 3 have vanished over
> the last year). 2 of the 3 are currently broody, and for the first
> time, we have put 10 bought-in fertile maran eggs under them.
ten each? Or ten divided up between the two?
> our henrun is big
> enough, (it's about 10ft x 30ft) we always let the hens have complete
> free range - letting them out of the run in the morning, and shutting
> them in at night.
>
> 1. Do I need to move the hens & hatched chicks from the small henhouse,
> or are they ok where they are? I have read about small arks, but as we
> only have 3 full grown hens in total, is this really necessary?
I can see two possible problems:
- broodies are not friendly creatures among each other. They will have
plenty of space to go their own way during the day, it seems, but will
they also have the room to claim their own inside your henhouse? I'm
sure it is much less stressful for them if each has her own little coop
for the night.
- very small chicks tend to disappear. They make easy prey for cats and
other predators, and as you say 50% of your grown-up hens vanished last
year, I wouldn't put the youngsters at risk until they are fully
feathered.
>
> 2. I feed split maize to the hens, (and water) but because they forage
> freely, they get everything else they need, including grit, when they
> forage.
If I may frankly say so, I doubt that a bit. Maize is excellent
high-calorie food to warm them up in cold winter weather, other than
that it just fattens them up. Laying hens don't need a lot of
carbohydrates, but protein and calcium to build up their eggs. I would
suggest you give them a good breakfast of layers' pellets before you let
them out of their run, and make sure they always have shell grit or
crushed egg shells for their calcium supply as long as they are in lay.
Stone grit, although essential for their digestion, does not provide any
calcium.
> Do chicks need something extra supplying? chick crumbs
> perhaps?
yes, that is definitely the best and most convenient. If the chicks are
to run on the same soil as the adults, and if it is moist (well, you're
in the UK, so it is ;-) and warm, you might want to buy chick crumbs
with a coccidiostat to prevent them from getting coccidiosis. It is okay
if the mothers eat it, too, as long as they don't lay again.
> or some talk about porridge oats! If I was buying something
> in, it would HAVE to be organic though. are there organic chick crumbs
> available? or do I just sieve the split maize to get smaller stuff thet
> they could swallow easier?
nonono, again, think of maize as sweets, chocolate, something they will
doubtlessly love but does not provide them with what they need. Chick
crumbs do, and you can add freshly grated carrots, scrambled eggs,
finely chopped stinging nettles (high in minerals) or other greens.
Personally, I prefer non-organic feed for my chickens, as organic grains
tend to have a higher load of mycotoxins. I lost several birds with
kidney failure to what I think was a Aflatoxin B1/Ochratoxin A
poisoning, so I like to be on the safe side as much as I can now.
>
> 3. How much of a threat to chicks are rats & weasels & stoats? I
> guess we have them lurking around somewhere, but it would be impossible
> to protect entirely. Do I just take a chance at it until they grow too
> big to be a problem? I really don't want to lock them up all day in
> the run, and in any case, the run is where the holes are!!
hm... not meaning to be rude, but I can't help but wonder why you didn't
think of these things before you decided to set broodies. As I said,
small chicks make very easy prey. Their mother will do her best to
protect them during the day, but at night chickens are almost like in a
trance, as you will have noticed yourself. She won't be able to do
anything if the rats can come at night and seize a good little dinner to
feed to their young...
I guess some building work will have to be done...
There is an excellent chapter on rodents on this website:
http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-1088.html
it first deals with flies, mites etc but don't let that put you off, the
rodent chapter comes almost at the very end. Just to make you curious,
let me quote a few lines:
"In general, rodents have three basic requirements: food (Figure 2),
water, and harborage (places to hide and nest; Figure 3). If one or more
of these items is missing from the area, rodent populations will remain
low. Unfortunately, all three are usually abundant in and around poultry
houses. ..."
"Three elements make up a good rodent management program: sanitation,
rodent proofing, and rodent killing (Figure 4). Sanitation and rodent
proofing, the first lines of defense, include a number of cultural
practices easily incorporated into the overall management of the poultry
farm. "
>
> 4. At what point should I shine a torch through the eggs to see if any
> are growing? there seems little point in mama sitting on the infertile
> ones. Will I see anything after a week? 2 weeks?
I have only candled white eggs up to now, they're easy to candle of
course, and even with a torch only I am able to tell the clear ones
after a week. Can't say anything about really dark Marans eggs.
Good luck and have a lot of fun watching the little families
Nuele (D)
.
- References:
- maran broody - chicks imminent
- From: timh
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