Broody hen DIED 2 week old chicks

[Chicken poppy]

Help! My broody hen and chicks are outside in my chicken coop, the hen (Dixie) seemed a bit off, especially yesterday. Today she died, wing spread out, neck sort of twisted, but eyes closed, so it seemed peaceful.. the chicks were all under her wing and it broke my heart. I have no idea what to do! They are bantam Japanese chicks (four chicks) and two adult chickens are fine with them (other Japanese bantams) and not aggressive, but the other two (much bigger not bantam chickens) are aggressive and seem to not like them. The chicks are two weeks old. What do i do? Bring them inside? Make a brooder for them? Will they freeze by the time i do? I’m so panicked.. If i make a brooder with a heat lamp for them, what temp should it be?

 

[azygous]

So many attempts to be helpful, but the best bit of advice is from @TheDawg . Find a heating pad. Find something furry (not made of yarn or they can choke on the fuzz) to attach to the bottom side of the heating pad to simulate the warm fluffy underside of a broody hen. No need to move the chicks other than to make it safe for them.

The heating pad should be raised up and shaped so it's high enough for the chicks to crawl under while still touching their backs so they can directly contact the heat. Forget trying to make a 90 degree brooder. In another week, the chicks won't need heat during the day because they will have enough feathers to conserve body heat as long as they consume calories. At night they will require heat until age five or six weeks when they will wean themselves off heat.

Leaving the chicks in with the other chickens will reserve their status as flock members, eliminating the need for integration at some point.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So many attempts to be helpful, but the best bit of advice is from @TheDawg . Find a heating pad. Find something furry (not made of yarn or they can choke on the fuzz) to attach to the bottom side of the heating pad to simulate the warm fluffy underside of a broody hen. No need to move the chicks other than to make it safe for them.

The heating pad should be raised up and shaped so it's high enough for the chicks to crawl under while still touching their backs so they can directly contact the heat. Forget trying to make a 90 degree brooder. In another week, the chicks won't need heat during the day because they will have enough feathers to conserve body heat as long as they consume calories. At night they will require heat until age five or six weeks when they will wean themselves off heat.

Leaving the chicks in with the other chickens will reserve their status as flock members, eliminating the need for integration at some point.

Agreed.

I'm sorry about the broody. I would however check her over really well for signs of injury or lice/mites. Then check the chicks really well for lice/mites too. If there's bugs, then you'll want to address them.

 

[Addicted To Chickens]

I do believe you should make a brooder for the chicks so the other chickens don't attack them...

 

[Eggcessive]

Azygous has got you covered. I had a broody once desert her 2 week old chicks once and they survived fine, snuggling with each other for heat, roosting in a nest box, and latter all 5 on the roost. But it was warmer then. The others were already used to them, but be careful when they are around the older birds. I would try to fence off the corner where they are located, maybe with plastic chicken wire or screen. I hope that your chicks do well.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They look kinda like this. View attachment 3429434They have some tail feathers, they seem to be doing fine.

That’s good they seem good. Can you get a heating pad or heat plate?

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some mama heating pad designs, and you can also find videos online.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-picture-heavy-update.956958/#post-14882145

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-i-made-a-mama-heating-pad-plate.74953/

 

[Shadrach]

There is a danger of this going horribly wrong.
Keep them in the coop, preferably in the nest they were hatched in. I wouldn't go the heatpad route.
If the nest is subject to any drafts then build a cardboard wind break around it.
At their age they should be okay, but, it does depend on the ambient temperature in the coop. If you've got constant well below freezing temperatures then you may have problems.

A warning from experience. You've mentioned you've got full sized hens and they haven't been looking delighted at the whole business. Mum isn't there to defend them. You need to think of more then just keeping the pullets/chicks warm. You need to think carefully now about integration assuming they survive. The easiest integrations are when the mother hen does the introduction to the tribe and the rooster.
So, has the rooster seen the chicks and imprinted them?

I would be seriously thinking about housing the bantams seperately from any other full sized breeds. This doesn't mean they have to be kept seperate during the day when ranging. Take advantage of that "birds of a feather" saying at this stage. There is an awful lot of truth in the saying.

 

[azygous]

Do you have a simple saucer shaped cat bed? My chicks over the years have loved sleeping in a furry cat bed after they weaned themselves off heat, but you can drape a heating pad over the flat cat bed and provide a space for the chicks to wiggle under and be enclosed in that closely resembles being cozy and safe under a broody hen.

To make cleaning it easy, I stuck a sheet of Glad Press 'n Seal over the cat bed, and another sheet stuck to the top of the heating pad. Simple to wipe each day with a damp cloth.

Remember, chicks under a broody hen warm themselves by direct contact with her warm under parts. Direct contact heat is the most natural and efficient. Chicks at two weeks would only need the heating pad to be at the medium setting, while at three weeks at night, the setting would be on low.

 

[Yardmom]

What are the temperatures in the coop at night? Chicks that are 2 weeks old are much hardier than many give them credit for. They will be fine in a 72 degree coop as long as they can snuggle together. I have had chicks that young without a mother in the coop. One set had a cardboard box they slept in. It was very toasty when they snuggled together in it. Another time I put a heating pad out. It dipped below 40, but in the morning the chicks were huddled away from the heat pad, but they were fine. If your night temperatures are cool and you want to use a heating pad make sure it doesn't automatically shut off.