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First broody hen 5 days from hatching day... and I am a nervous wreck

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post #1 of 11

8/14/12 at 4:28pm

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Happy Camper

Location: Puerto Rico
Joined: 7/2012
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I know I am stressing too much about this, but I'll ask anyways...

Mamita's chicks are due on August 19... she has not left the nest for the past two days at least to eat or drink and I can tell by the amount of food/water left in her plates...

I have tried to get her to leave but she comes right back to seat on the eggs...

Is she in danger of dying??? I am about to throw her some food inside the nest (although I have been adviced not to) ... Could she go 4 more days like that?

Poor Mamita...

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post #2 of 11

8/14/12 at 4:32pm

satay
oz-e-chick

Location: Esk Qld Australia
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She will be fine they know when they need to eat and drink. I used to stress about my turkeys when they sat because they seem to never get off the nest from day 1 til they hatch. Never lost one so they must know what they are doing.

post #3 of 11

8/14/12 at 4:57pm

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Happy Camper

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Ok... For the next five days I will stick to your advice and whenever I am tempted to do "anything" I'll ask myself "What would Satay do?" ... hahaha...

On other things... Do you keep your turkeys with your chickens? I think I want to add a new species to our coop and I have already been adviced against ducks...

You seem to have a lot more experience than me... What would your recommend? I also have the option of adding guinea fowl to the flock... Thanks Satay :)

I'll be a grandma on Sunday ... can't wait.

post #4 of 11

8/14/12 at 6:03pm

satay
oz-e-chick

Location: Esk Qld Australia
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I don't keep turkeys and chickens together now but I have done. I have only ever kept hens not the males with chickens though. Never had any problems. I have also kept muscovey ducks with bantam chickens before too. My one little bantie cochin thinks she is a muscovey now and sleeps with her male mate at night very cute to see.

Forgot to add my pens are about 1/2 acre each too as we live on acerage.
Edited by satay - 8/14/12 at 6:06pm

post #5 of 11

8/14/12 at 6:05pm

satay
oz-e-chick

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper

Ok... For the next five days I will stick to your advice and whenever I am tempted to do "anything" I'll ask myself "What would Satay do?" ... hahaha...

lol Good luck with your hatch on Sunday please post some pictures of your babies when they are born. We all love a good fuzzy butt picture

post #6 of 11

8/18/12 at 8:13am

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Happy Camper

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Alright... update here. Hatching started today and I want to move chicks to a brooder since I decided to place some more eggs under the hen...

When should I do this? Should I go one by one or wait till they are almost all out? The brooder has the right temp and everything I just don't want to risk the chicks if they need more time w/ mom... ( and for some reason I don't even think that makes sense at all for chickens)... anyways...

My other concern is that if I let her too much time w/them she would stand and not sit anymore or that they would get loose in a cage that is pretty big and kind of hard for me to reach in to...

So they question would be... how soon can I move them to the brooder?

post #7 of 11

8/18/12 at 4:54pm

satay
oz-e-chick

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You can probably take them as soon as they are dry but if it was me I would leave them til they all hatch. Your broody may accept more eggs to sit on or she may not as she has been sitting for 21days now.

post #8 of 11

8/18/12 at 6:13pm

donrae

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Just leave the babies with the momma and let her raise them. Chances are VERY high she will not set long enough to hatch a second batch. Even if she did, it would be a huge stress on her health. You're already concerned about her health brooding one batch for three weeks, being broody for 6 weeks is unnatural and unhealthy. Plus, leaving babies with momma is best for them, hen raised babies are much healthier and don't have pasty butt, etc near as much as brooder babies. Taking the babies and putting new eggs under the hen will most likely lead to her abandoning half incubated eggs and you'll be scrambling for an incubator or tossing partially incubated eggs.........

Rachel BB

Well, the kittens aren't so cute anymore and the easter egger cockerels are in the freezer. Plus, I think offering them as "prizes" scared folks off! So, I'm still posting quotes, if you know it let me know. I'm very enamored of this new one, it may hang around for a while!

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

Rachel BB

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

post #9 of 11

8/18/12 at 8:04pm

Vicky2479

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I have to agree with the others, I would let mum raise the babies, it's not fair or healthly to ask her to sit on another clutch and she wil probably get up and leave them anyway. Good luck with your hatching hope you get lots of little fuffly butts

post #10 of 11

8/19/12 at 3:48pm

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Happy Camper

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Thanks everybody for your help and great ideas... Here's a pic of the surviving trio...

Mamita pecked on an egg that died even after I tried the incubator and this morning I found feathers on her beak, yolk sprayed around the nest and on the rest of the chicks and a dead chick that was completely out of the shell... I really wanted to give a chance to the rest of the chicks so I moved them to a brooder. Here's a pic...