OMG what should I DOOOOOOO???

[GBov]

I put three fat NZ reds into my chicken pen three weeks ago after exposing one of the two to the red buck and had the fur fly.

Tried a few times but she just clamped her bum down and he didn't seem to achieve docking stations and as the three are new to me and over weight and VERY hard to handle I just got fed up and turned the danged things loose.

I had a colony with my chickens last year and it worked well other than cave ins so I THOUGHT I was use to colonies.

Yesterday I found a deeeeeep burrow under the half dog crate shelter - there are three halves in there so they can get away from the chickens - and thought "Whoops, has it been THAT long?" but as I wanted them to kindle in the big new cages I have built for them todays finding of the burrow all filled in was seemingly a good thing.

I scooped them up and put them in their new cages, gave them food and hay and fresh water and called it a good job well done.

Seems I might have been wrong.

If she filled in the burrow to hide kits, how well would it be filled in? Honey never filled in her burrows, just narrowed the entrance lots. Should I turn loose the big fat twosome or should I just hope they filled the burrow like the first three practice burrows? How deep would she have covered/filled it in? If I dig down a bit would I find a nice clear burrow a few inches deep or what?

We REALLY dont want to miss out on getting some NZ Reds out of this trio, they cost the earth and knowing now that I was done on the price it makes me even more determined to get some offspring.


What should I do!?!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Are you sure on your dates? If I read your post right, they are only 21 days along, so there shouldn't be any kits. Unless they were bred already, and have kits from that breeding... do their teats look like they have been nursing kits? Is there any reason you can't just put them back in there?

 

[GBov]

One was exposed to the buck off and on for a week before I turned them loose so she could actually be on week four.

And I really dont want them to have their babies in the colony as we lost two litters to cave ins when we tried it last time with Honey and Bowler. We did get lots of lovely babies but its so heart breaking when a little one is found with lungs gasping from dust and to try to save it and fail and then to find another one four weeks later and fail to save that one too.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Perhaps if you carefully excavate the nest?

 

[GBov]

Perhaps if you carefully excavate the nest?

Thats what I did and found an empty tunnel end.

Panic over lol.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

That's a relief! Hopefully you will be posting pics of nests full of healthy popples (kits) for us to admire soon!