Adding Chicks to Broody Hens

Have you ever been in a public place full of darling cute chubby babies?  Don't you just love them, their big eyes, rosy cheeks and toothless grins!  

When they start fussing and screaming aren't you glad they belong to someone else?  Yet when it comes to your own children they can do no wrong! 

Hens are the same way.  If they have not bonded with their eggs...adding a chick from the feed store just isn't going to happen.  The longer they sit the more willing they are to take on foster babies. 

 

My process for adding day old chicks to a broody hen is pretty simple.  I have tried and true hens that are good mamas. It takes time to find the right hen.  It just takes practice.  I have never had a hen not take a chick.  

1. You need to let your broody sit for at LEAST 10 days, I try and let them go to full term.  This gives them time to bond with the eggs, they become hers!  Let her sit on the same number of eggs as you plan on putting chicks under her.  

1. Once you get the chick home, no matter what time of day, put the box near the broody so that she can hear their peeping.  Remember to keep them warm.  I let mine peep for about 30 minutes.

2.  Take an egg out and put a chick under her.  See how she reacts.  Does she coo or does she peck the baby on the head?  If she coos you are good to go, if she has another reaction that is not motherly, take the chick back and try again in an hour. I try and add the chicks from the back of the hen, but that is not always possible.  

3.  If she takes the first chick you can repeat the process every 10 or 15 minutes until you have added all the chicks and removed most of the eggs.   I leave an egg or 2 until the next day, just so she thinks she is not done yet.  

If the hen does not accept the first chick after an hour of listening to the peeping, you may have to wait until night.  So have the brooder ready because your chicks with need heat and nourishment.  You still need to do a few at a time. But when it is dark and everyone is quiet, she might not know what you have done! 

I would keep it dark until morning and are able to be there and see how she is going to react. They should be fine. 

If you give you hen time to bond with her eggs and to listen to the peeping,  you should not have any trouble adding live chicks to a broody hen!  

 Roasted Pablanos Stuffed with Chicken Chorizo and Cheese 

Served with Crispy Smashed Potatoes

 and Soft Fried Egg. 

Every fall we buy a half bushel of roasted pablano peppers from a local farm market.  I keep the skin on the peppers, divide them into meal sized portions and put them in freezer bags.   I like the pablano pepper because it has thick flesh, a nice large cavity for stuffing and just the right amount of heat.

This dish can be made with any type of pre-cooked meat. This particular pepper as stuffed with chicken chorizo.  I have used left over taco hamburger, pot roast, grilled chicken, turkey. If I am using leftovers meat I chop my meat and heat it with a little oil in a skillet.  I season with a little cumin,  maybe some chili powder and garlic and if needed salt and pepper. Be creative with your filling. I have even stuffed it with Asian Stir Fry.  For vegetarian versions use rice and beans, tofu or any kind of pasta salad, couscus, quinoua.  Just make sure that you like the flavor of what you are putting in the pepper and you will love the whole dish!

If you don't have pre roasted peppers purchase some nice sized fresh peppers with thick flesh.  To prepare the raw pepper blister the pepper over an open flame or under the broiler.  Make sure to blister the skin evenly.  Put the hot pepper in a plastic bag and let it steam until they are cool.
Rinse the skin off the pepper.  Using a sharp knife slit the pepper from stem to base, just above the tip. Clean out the seeds and peel out the veins.  Work carefully and try not to tear the pepper, but if it happens, lay the biggest whole portion of the pepper on the baking dish, put the filling on and wrap the remaining portions around.   

Stuff the pepper with your pre-made filling and top with your favorite cheese.  Put the peppers in an oven proof baking dish and bake until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

To make the Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Bake your favorite potato until completely cooked.   Place the potato on a baking dish, slit the top open and smash with the bottom of a coffee cup or other flat object. The potato should be no more than a half inch tall.  Put a generous pat of butter on top of the potato season with at least salt and pepper (but you can get creative here too!)  Put the baking dish in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is crispy. Then turn on the broiler and crisp up the top.

Just before serving fry up a soft egg.

Stack the potato, pepper and top with the egg.

Happy National Margarita Day! 

 Blackberry 

Chipotle

 Margarita

½ C Tequila

¼ C Triple Sec

¼ C Lime Juice

¼ C Agave Nectar

6-8 Large Blackberries

Chipotle Dust  (Ground Chiplote) 

This will make 4 or 5 margaritas.  

For a frozen Margarita, put everyting in the blender (except the Chipotle Dust)  Blend until smooth.  Pour into your glass and sprinkle with the Chiptle Dust.  

To enjoy your drink On the Rocks.  Muddle the berries in the bottom of the glass. Add the liquor, lime and agave.  Mix well.  Add the ice mix again.  Dust with the Chipotle. 

The origial recipe calls for fresh jalapeno and no chipotle.  If you would like to try this variation, just  a  1/4 to 1/2  finely chopped fresh jalapeno and omit the chiptole dust. 

Chick Care

Giving your chicks a healthy start in life determines how well it will perform for you when they are grown.  Proper nutrition as a baby effects how many eggs she will lay in her life, the quality of the shell, whether the feather pattern is correct for the breed and how prone to disease they will be as adults.

Feed ~ All chicks should be fed chick starter for the first  4 weeks then put on grower feed for the next  12-16 weeks.  Chickens like to scratch.  Use a proper chick feeder to keep them from scratching their food everywhere. 

You will find chick feed comes in medicated and unmedicated.  Medicated feed is designed to combat a parasite called Coccidiosis which is contagious and can be deadly.    Medicated starter generally has amprolium which is a thiamine blocker for cocci.  As a result the cocci parasite does not reproduce as quickly and the chick and develops resistance (not immunity) to cocci.  Medicated feed does NOT contain antibiotics.   

Chicks vaccinated for Coccidiosis  SHOULD NOT have medicated feed.  

Otherwise choosing medicated or unmedicated  feed is a personal choice.  

Water  ~ CLEAN water is vital.   The chicks will scratch their bedding in it and poop in it.  Little chicks can get sick fast if they don’t have clean water.  If you wouldn’t drink it don’t let them drink it!  Again, use proper chick water.  It will help keep the water clean and keep the chicks from drowning! 

Grit ~ Chickens don’t have teeth.  Their gizzard grinds the food with the aid of small pebbles.  For chicks, provide them a small dish of play sand or parakeet gravel. 

The Brooder ~ Baby chicks need to be protected from drafts but still have adequate ventilation. This can be in the form of a cardboard box a large plastic storage bin or any kind of container that has sides high enough to keep them from jumping or flying out. 

A Heat Source  ~ The first week of their lives they require an air temperature of 95 degrees, the second week 90 degrees, and so on - going down by 5 degrees per week until they're ready to transition to "outside". A 250-watt infrared heat lamp is the best way to achieve this, is to put the heat lamp at one end of the brooder. The height of the light will depend on what it takes to achieve your target temperature.  When you see your chicks piled up they are trying to keep warm.  If they are spread out and panting they are too hot.  It is important that they are able to move in and out of the warmest part of the brooder. 

Bedding~  Absorbent bedding is a must.  Pine shavings are the best choice.  Do not use cedar!   Put just enough in the brooder to absorb their mess and to keep them from slipping.  Newspaper is not a good idea.  It does not provide enough traction.  If you prefer to use something other than pine shavings, grippy shelf liner will work.

Pasting Up ~ Nearly all chicks will get “pasting up”.  This happens when their poo gets stuck in their fluff.   It can be deadly.  If the poo blocks the vent,  the chick cannot pass anymore waste and can die very quickly  It is easy to clean with a warm wet paper towel and a little patience. 

Waterfowl ~ Without their mama, ducklings and goslings do not have the proper oil on their down to keep them dry and afloat.  If you let your babies swim, make sure they don’t get water logged and that they have a warm place to dry off.

Chicks don’t stay little for long.  Whatever long-term coop solution you go with, make sure it provides 2 square feet per bird.  It sounds like a lot, but as they get older (and bigger) you'll realize why this is necessary.  They should have access to the outdoors where they are protected from predators like cats, dogs, raccoons and hawks.  

 Prepared for Tractor Supply Company store 1668  by Brooke Hahn..   Brooke is a Member of Appleton 4H Club and Fuzz and Feathers Poultry Club