I need advice from chicken people!

[jayne]

Hi chicken friends!

I have a broody hen that I put some fertile eggs under three weeks ago tomorrow. Well, on the 5th day, momma returned from a break but sat in the wrong nest for I don't know how long, but I moved her to the eggs as soon as I noticed, but the eggs didn't feel warm to me at all. After that, I didn't think the eggs were going to be good any more, but I let her continue to set on them just in case.

Well, today when the momma took her break (I swear she has a schedule!), I went to check the eggs and two of them are pipping! Whoo hoo! But since I didn't think they were going to hatch, I did not make any plans on where to put them.

Right now momma is sitting in a nest box about 1 foot above the floor in the main coop. I don't want to move her now and get her all upset and was thinking that I could move them all when the chicks have hatched. In the mean time, I will put a piece of cardboard across the front of the nest box so none of them can fall out but mom could still get out if she needs to, although she usually doesn't leave the nest until about 11am.

All the stalls in my barn are empty now. I have one 12x12 stall with 5 foot tall sides and a tight door (my clydesdale's stall) that no chick could exit around. I swept up all the sawdust down to the mats. I intend to spread a bale of hay in there. Does this sound like a good plan for a place for them to live until they can go back to the flock? Should I set up a heat lamp in there just in case? Do you think momma will follow if I grab all her chicks? Should I contain them in a smaller area in the stall until they're bigger, or since momma is with them, do you think they can have the run of the whole stall?

I guess the main reasons I think I need to separate them is to keep the other hens from picking on them, as well as eating their chick starter food.

Do you think I am on the right track or do you have any other ideas? Thanks in advance for your help. I will post pictures once everything is set!

Jayne

 

[h2t99]

A stall is ok as long as you have no cats!! I have 2 hens that hatched 9 and 8!! I put them in a pen outside during the day and in a large wire cage at night. But I have cats that will get the chicks. The one hen is mean enough that once the chicks hit 2 weeks I will let her loose. The other is not aggressive enough. You do not need a lamp, mom will keep them warm. make sure you have chick feed for the babies, they will be fine until 48 hours old then they need feed and water. Do not move the hen until most of the eggs have hatched otherwise she will not sit on them. Use a chick waterer, I have had chicks drown numerous times in a small bowl of water!! At least for the first week!! Be very careful once they start to hatch, mom can become a psycho!!

Our little banty hen is very friendly until she has chicks!! Good Luck!!

Heidi

 

[jayne]

Heidi! Thank you so much for words from your experience! I will follow your advice for sure.

An update is that there is now one black chick! It was about 6 inches away from mom laying on its back, so I tucked it back under her. Not sure what would have happened as she's still focusing heavily on those peeping eggs under her. I got nervous with her having them hatch so far off the ground, so I was able to successfully move them to a big dog crate with out her freaking out. I got the chick and the pipping eggs first (some were chirping!) and put them in a depression in the hay, and then moved mom who didn't really seem to even know I moved her. She is very focused. When I put her back over the eggs she just hunkered down. Whew. That will make it easier to move them all tomorrow out of the coop.

I will have chick food out for them by tomorrow. Good thing I have time to run to the feed store before they need it. It will only be about 14 hours after the first hatched, so I'm good I think. I know they ship chicks for the first couple of days without food, so I'm not worried. I'll have mommas food up higher (it's pellets so too big for the chicks) and then she can eat the chick food starting tomorrow too. She needs it as her comb and wattles are paler than I like.

Thanks again for your advice!

Jayne

 

[qtrrae]

Jayne,

I just had a similar situation - my hen had her chicks in one of the big horse feeders - they are up high from when we had quarter horses.

I knew there was no way she could get the baby chicks safely down - I waited until they all seemed to be hatched out - then waited until dark - using a flashlight I lifted her off the babies and put her in a dog crate and then got all the chicks and put them in a pail.

They are now residing in one of my 12x14 horse stalls and are as happy as can be. I put down hay and a chick waterer along with baby chick food. Everyone is doing fine - haven't lost any babies. I bring them a little fresh grass every day - esp. Mother Hen seems to appreciate that.

I didn't use any heat lamp because she seems to be able to get everyone nestled under her. Hopefully, I won't need that horse stall until the babies are older.

I love my chickens - the little hens are so brave and very protective of their babies. It just amazes me how aggressive they can be if they think someone will harm their babies.

Good luck and it will be fun to see pictures.

 

[Sterling]

I like for my hens to brood and hatch out their peeps in a higher nest. What we do is fashion a little ladder. Mine is just made out of a slab of wood and hubby nails slats going across it. So it's considered a solid ladder. It is adorable to watch momma hen going up and down the ladder while her chicks follow her. I've just sold out (last night) of all my banty chicks I had hatch this batch, they were 4 weeks old, and have been with their 3 mommas the whole time. The 3 hens had layed them, brooded them and hatched them out. You don't need a lamp this time of year as momma hen will take care of that. Sounds to me like you're on the right track with everything else.

This last batch of chicks, I had one egg that was trying to hatch but the hens already had most of the chicks out of the eggs...so they started going about their merry way. I took the one egg that was trying to hatch inside, put it under a regular bulb lamp and kept misting it thru out the day. It finally hatched. That night I went outside and slipped it under one of the hens...she had no idea what I was doing....it was dark. The next morning I watched the 3 hens walk out of the nest with all chickies in tow. The one I had put under them the night before had a tell tale exclamation point black mark on it's head and was mostly white....she was in the bunch. Made me giggle!

When you get a chance I would love to see some pics!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had some hatch and put them in a horse tank with a screen on top. I doubt the other hens would hurt them, but when I tried leaving them out for the hen to protect, she tried-- but a road runner got one. So the next time I put them in the horse tank.

It is so fun to watch them. I never understood that Scripture verse about the hen and chicks until I saw it in real life. Our broody hen was so protective. I tried taking the chicks in the house once, thinking I could raise them better that way, and she ran all around the house frantically calling them, so I put them back out with her. The other hens did not bother them, but they were so tiny they ran in and out of the fence wire. That is how the road runner got one.

 

[jayne]

OK, here's the one-day-later update:

We started with 8 eggs. We have ended up with 5 fluffy little chicks, 2 angel chicks (including the first black one from yesterday, I think momma squished him, he was pretty flat and one that died before getting totally out of the egg) and one egg that appears to be a dud but I'm giving it another day.

Momma is such a good momma. It is so cute to go in there and hear the little peepers but not see them at all! When one peeks out, momma just looks at it and eventually it ducks back into her feathers. So cute!

I saw that momma hadn't left the nest for at least a whole day, so I let her peck some food from my hand and then offered her water but she wouldn't take it. I went and got a piece of whole wheat/seed bread and ripped it into bite-sized pieces and then dipped it in the water and gave that to her. She really liked that. I hope she'll feel comfortable enough to leave them for a little tomorrow. They are still in the big dog crate and are very secure in there. The dog crate is in the big horse stall with the door tightly closed and then the barn is tightly closed as well, so they should be safe in there. I'll go and close the door to the dog crate when it gets dark and open it again at 5:30am when I feed the horses. She wouldn't walk around during the night anyway and then I'll know she'll be safe.

Thanks again for all your help and sharing your experiences. Hopefully we will be able to raise these 5 sweet babies to become productive members of our flock.

Jayne

 

[h2t99]

Mom will not leave her babies, if the egg has not hatched and you do not hear anything coming from the egg then I would take it out. Some moms are so heavy they do squish the babies, our hen that just hatched 8 actually had 14!! While they were hatching she squished the eggs and they did not get out totally and then some died after, she is a first timer though. I'm sure next year she will be more careful!!

Do enjoy them!! I will get some pics of both my hens and post!!

Heidi

 

[Sterling]

Awwww what a sweet picture!!! Is Momma hen an Australorp by chance?

 

[jayne]

Yes, momma hen IS an australorp. I love my shiny black hens! My original flock was made up of "two of those, and two of those and two of those, etc" that I picked out at the feed store one spring. But I loved the australorps so much I got three more last October from someone who was giving them away and they were full grown but hadn't even laid an egg yet! Boy did I luck out! Actually, this hen is one of those three.

Unfortunately, these hatchlings aren't hers biologically, so no more australorps for now. If I don't get at least a couple of new hens from these chicks, I'm going to supplement my aging flock with a few barred rocks, which are my other all time favorite. Ones from the original flock I don't really care for are the wyandottes and the americanas. While the americanas are sweet chickens and pretty, they are very undependable layers, and the wyandottes are mean to the other chickens and frankly are the dumbest of the bunch, which is a fairly low standard anyway!!

I will have a new pic or two in a couple of days when they're first out and about! This is so fun except for the few losses.

Jayne

 

[jayne]

One last picture just for fun from Day 2!

They're so cute!! And momma is doing such a good job. This is fun!

Jayne

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Thanks for the updated picture! It makes me so impatient to have chickens again.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Been many, many years since I've kept chickens and often think I'd like a few more. This sure doen't help me!

I like the barred rocks, also. Had several Aricanas (sp?) and they were great setters/moms. Like a large banty

. One of mine had "gone missing" and I just couldn't find her, so felt a fox or such had gotten her out near the woods. Well, a couple weeks go by and I notice the chickens going to a shed a lot. Looked and there she is, on a huge pile of "donated" eggs

Eventually she hatches about 15 chicks....and out they all come one day. Wow, talk about CUTE. Then it hits me, I have to catch and pen them for safety but how???? Fixed a nest, shelter, cage and had decided to use a crab net to catch the hen first. Little did I know that was a great idea. She began squawking and every one of those little chicks just dove flat down onto the ground, laid very still.

I walked around and picked them up into a big tub, off to the cage and the hen came running.

It was amazing!! I just couldn't wait for dark and her to nest.

Yikes, hope there are no chicks at the feed store tomorrow.

 

[baybrianna]

cute photos.

i dont have chickens but my aunt does. she recently had a skunk coming everynight and killing a chicken.well one night my cusin picked the skunk up by the tail and flew it out of the coop.

bri

 

[Danielle_E.]

What a sweet picture. I recently added to my gang of ameraucanas and cuckoo marans. I now have two Lakenvelder chicks and they are so sweet. These are the golden Lakenvelders so I am anxious to see them grow up. They will have black heads, gold body and black tails. I have one of each this time so will be interesting having a rooster. He better behave! I have 4 Houdans coming to me in the next month. They are in the incubator at the moment. They have to be the sweetest breed going. I am sooooo excited!!!!!

 

[jayne]

I'll have to look up the Houdan breed. I love chickens with sweet personalities. I hope you have a good hatch!

My little chicks will be a week old tomorrow. They are already growing feathers on their wings and tails! Momma continues to be wonderful and I so enjoy watching her interact with them. I will definitely do this again! Look at this cute little peeper:

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

We have banty chickens, we were at one time up to 20ish but had a weasel get into the coop and kill all but two hens and a rooster

so have to start again.. The two hens just hatched out 20 chicks between the two of them yesterday.. Once they hatch they're put in large rabbit type cages until the chicks are big enough to fend for themselves/fly or are sold, we've already got 1/2 of these spoken for and we'll probably keep the other 1/2 til old enough to determine if they're hens or roosters, will probably keep a few of the hen chicks..

Couple pics of the lil ones from our last batch:

 

[Danielle_E.]

Here is a pic of a Houdan chick

 

[Danielle_E.]

and here is a pic full grown. I just adore this breed. They are not only really different looking they are very very sweet

 

[jayne]

OH MY GOSH!! Stop already!!! I'm going to become a chick-aholic!!! Those chicks are so adorable! I think I could really get in trouble if I don't control myself!!