MI_Chkns
Chirping
I'm more of a lurker than a poster, but wanted to share this experience while it's fresh.
I have a splash ameraucana who will be a year old in a couple weeks. She has a severe cross beak and spends all but her days inside so the can take the time to eat in peace of the others. She's only a little over 3lbs, so she needs all she can get.
She hangs with me before bed and sleeps inside in a pen. (yes I have a problem, or so my wife says)
She went broody a few weeks ago. I tried breaking her for a week, but she was very persistent. So I let her site on some fake eggs while I thought about what to do.
I didn't think she could go three weeks without affecting her health, so decided to slip her some hatchery chicks.
I wanted the youngest chicks I could find. TSC and FFH are close by, but I decided to head to Meyer Hatchery in Ohio (Great place) on hatch day and get them fresh, with me transporting. This was Monday.
Put four chicks under her that night with little fuss. This was after about 12 days of letting her sit on the fake eggs.
Next morning they wandered out and she was not happy. She was pecking at them (or more like beak bunting) relentlessly. I thought I was going to have to raise them, and after having hens do the work, I didn't want to go back. It is so much easier all around if they're raised by one of their own. Flock Integration being the big one.
So I took them away for a bit and tried the next night. Again, not much fuss.
The next morning things improved, but it was still off. Momma quick trying to kill them and just sat. The little ones ventured out, and momma stayed put and grumbled a bunch, but didn't go after them. She has started talking to them and acting more mom like.
Last night the chicks learned to go under her and she seemed a little happier
It's now 4 days since I picked up the chicks. Today they are finally a little family. They cling to her, she's brought them out for a tour of the house, tidbitting, showing them the chicken ropes.
All is finally good. Tomorrow they'll go out with the others and we'll see how that goes.
I started to think about the interactions and how they differed from a hatching hen.
I thought about how when my hens hatch and raise, they too stay on the nest a couple days after they hatch, and the chicks don't really come out. They may for a second, but go right back in.
I think they didn't know she was the safe place, even being hours old, because they were hatched in a tray.
And she didn't know NOT to get up and lead them around immediately, because she they knew better than to run off.
Apologies for the long read, wander if anyone else has had a similar experience.
Pic attached
I have a splash ameraucana who will be a year old in a couple weeks. She has a severe cross beak and spends all but her days inside so the can take the time to eat in peace of the others. She's only a little over 3lbs, so she needs all she can get.
She hangs with me before bed and sleeps inside in a pen. (yes I have a problem, or so my wife says)
She went broody a few weeks ago. I tried breaking her for a week, but she was very persistent. So I let her site on some fake eggs while I thought about what to do.
I didn't think she could go three weeks without affecting her health, so decided to slip her some hatchery chicks.
I wanted the youngest chicks I could find. TSC and FFH are close by, but I decided to head to Meyer Hatchery in Ohio (Great place) on hatch day and get them fresh, with me transporting. This was Monday.
Put four chicks under her that night with little fuss. This was after about 12 days of letting her sit on the fake eggs.
Next morning they wandered out and she was not happy. She was pecking at them (or more like beak bunting) relentlessly. I thought I was going to have to raise them, and after having hens do the work, I didn't want to go back. It is so much easier all around if they're raised by one of their own. Flock Integration being the big one.
So I took them away for a bit and tried the next night. Again, not much fuss.
The next morning things improved, but it was still off. Momma quick trying to kill them and just sat. The little ones ventured out, and momma stayed put and grumbled a bunch, but didn't go after them. She has started talking to them and acting more mom like.
Last night the chicks learned to go under her and she seemed a little happier
It's now 4 days since I picked up the chicks. Today they are finally a little family. They cling to her, she's brought them out for a tour of the house, tidbitting, showing them the chicken ropes.
All is finally good. Tomorrow they'll go out with the others and we'll see how that goes.
I started to think about the interactions and how they differed from a hatching hen.
I thought about how when my hens hatch and raise, they too stay on the nest a couple days after they hatch, and the chicks don't really come out. They may for a second, but go right back in.
I think they didn't know she was the safe place, even being hours old, because they were hatched in a tray.
And she didn't know NOT to get up and lead them around immediately, because she they knew better than to run off.
Apologies for the long read, wander if anyone else has had a similar experience.
Pic attached