Had to pick between a heat lamp and a broody hen for my chicks last spring

Last March I got six new chicks and couldn't decide if I should use the old heat lamp in the coop or just let my broody Silkie hen, Gertrude, raise them herself. The lamp seemed safer temperature-wise but I've heard horror stories about coop fires. Gertrude is a good mom but she's also kind of a doofus and I worried she'd roll over on the babies. I ended up going with the lamp because we had a cold snap and I didn't trust her to keep them warm enough. Big mistake. That lamp made the coop feel like an oven and the chicks huddled in the corner away from it, panting. After two days I turned it off and let Gertrude take over. She tucked them under her wings and they were fine. Has anyone else had a broody hen fail on them or am I just paranoid about letting nature do its thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix27d ago

Gertrude fumbling was just life proving we overthink simple things.

carter.hugo26d ago

Learned that the hard way misplacing my glasses while they were on my head.