When it comes to rearing chicks there are definitely two ends to the spectrum. If you used a broody hen to hatch the chicks then this would be a very brief instruction because, short of ensuring that there is the correct feed available and a drinker that is accessible to the chicks, the mother hen will pretty much take care of everything else. She'll keep them warm at night, protect them during the day and ensure that they learn how to forage and what's good to eat.
It’s fascinating to watch a hen with her crèche of chicks as she goes about rearing them. She will continue to tend to them for around six to eight weeks, by which point they start to become increasingly independent and capable of fending for themselves. She will then often ‘return to lay’ and may even set about rearing another batch of chicks. Nothing could be simpler for the backyard breeder.
If, however, you hatched your chicks using an incubator then that level of attentiveness and dependency falls on your shoulders for the months to come.
Last month we looked at the costs and considerations that need to be thought about when embarking on hatching some chicks of your own, but if you’ve managed to square all that and have started saving for your first incubator then here are a few more things to ready yourself for.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Country Smallholding.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Country Smallholding.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Going Nuts For Walnuts
In this extract from his book, The Walnut Tree: Tales of Growing and Uses, Charles Hulbert-Powell explains how he planted walnuts on his farm
A Bad Workman Blames His Tools!
In the first of a new mini-series, Kevin Alviti looks at the tools that have made themselves indispensable on the smallholding through the centuries and into 2020
Talking trees
The work of arboriculturists is varied and specialised. Debbie Kingsley finds out more from tree surgeon and smallholder Bruce Macfarlane
Breaking the ice
Icelandic sheep are a true multi-purpose breed, producing meat, milk and wool, says Tim Tyne, who was recently asked to judge Icelandics for an online show
A quick buck
It is easy and fast to grow and is also a weed suppressant, soil improver and it can be used to make gluten-free flour, so what’s not to like about buckwheat
Sale of the century?
The ring is king, as the saying goes, but Covid-19 has forced livestock auctions to go online and this could mark a permanent — and welcome for some — change to the way we buy and sell animals. Charlotte Cooper reports
Home sweet home
As the nights start to draw in, the time is right to consider where and how to house animals on the holding for the cold and wet winter months ahead. Stephanie Bateman looks at the options
Toasting Old Speckled Hens
In his series on birds that breed true, Grant Brereton takes a look at the distinctive ‘paint-splattered’, tricoloured plumage varieties that also boast a royal connection
Why not join the fold?
Poultry-keeping is going full circle as the many benefits of traditional methods, such as ‘folding’ poultry on grassland and in stubble fields after harvest, are once again appreciated, says Jeremy Hobson