Broody not being a good mom! HELP!

[txchickie]

I have a very young self blue OEGB broody that is not being the best mom

Her babies are hatching (9 little banty eggs she is sitting on) and as they hatch she's kicking them out away from her

I just went out to check on her again (for the 4000th time today

) and there were 2 teeny black chicks just kicked over to the side about 6 inches away from her, both cold and still curled up in the egg shape, neither of them were even dry yet

It's about 65 degrees outside, so I'm sure it didn't take them long to get chilled.

Is this normal for her to not help them? The hen is only about 6 months old and this is her first time sitting. Do I put a heat lamp on her and her chicks? It's supposed to get down to about 45 tonight, she's in a giant igloo dog house. Help me before I freak out!

 

[Kittymomma]

I'd bring them in--just the chicks or the chicks and mom so you can supervise tonight. If you just bring the chicks in chances are she won't take them back and you'll have to brood them yourself. If you bring the whole family in she might figure it out and start being a good mom, but there's no telling for sure. Sometimes it's just too much for them the first time and the freaking out overides their instincts. I see it a lot with our rabbits and I don't write them off as bad moms unless they do it again the second time around.

 

[Kittymomma]

How are they doing today?

 

[Julie08]

it seems troubling to me that they are still in "egg shape" that is not normal that implies that the broody removed them from their eggs and not that they hatched on their own.