heard little peeps under hen! yeah!

[maymay8]

Hi all - Just wanted to share thta I think some of the eggs our broody hens have been sitting on have hatched. When we went to water them this a.m., we heard little faint peeps from the hens' direction. Do brandnew chicks make peeping sounds? We didn't see anything and we didn't want to move them. When do they come out from under mama hen? Will she get up and let them out or do they have to climb out from under her warmth?
Yeah! I'll get pics as soon as I can!
Thanks for sharing -
Maggie

 

[Rufflemyfeathers]

Congrats oh your new babys..yes I have been listening to the babies chirping in my bator..one last nite and 4 this morning a probably 2 more by noon or so. I would not know anything about eggs under hens but hope to someday..I never done this before in my life but looks like I did it right anyway. Good Luck with your babies!!

 

[scgamecock]

Congrats

 

[swtangel321]

Quote:
CONGRATS !!! Yes brand new baby chicks make peeping noises !! They will stay under mama hen till they are at least dry and then MAYBE you might see one run out and back in, they will come out from under her soon. If you really want to know just lift her up a tad and look to see if any have hatched !! Also make sure you have chick starter and water near by for mama and babies !!

 

[WriterofWords]

Congrats on the new babies. New Mexico bred!

 

[maymay8]

I couldn't resist my curiousity so I peeked under one of the hens and sure enough there was a little fuzzball wobbling around under there. AND I saw a little beak peaking out from one of the other eggs. I was so THRILLED. Almost felt like I had another baby - minus the labor pains. Ha! Have to run and get some chick starter!
MAggie

 

[Mesa]

Alright you fellow New Mexicans.... do any of you breed chickens to sell? I'd like to add a few more to my flock. I'd rather not buy from a hatchery.

 

[speedabug]

AWWWWW!!!! the mommy will let them out and she will take care of them. Dont worry they will be find. CONGRATS ON THE BABY CHICKS

 

[Sunny Side Up]

If a hen is smart enough to incubate eggs and get them to hatch chicks then you can trust her to be smart enough to care properly for those chicks. It'll be lots of fun to watch her with them too!

Of course it's still a good idea to oversee their activity, but I try not to interfere unless there's a big problem, a chick stuck somewhere & can't get out, or something like that.

The Mama will probably sit on the nest for 24 hours or maybe even more, waiting for everyone to hatch out. The first to hatch will have enough food to go on from the yolk it absorbed, and it'll cuddle up under Mom's wings while its siblings hatch & dry. Then Mama will take the whole brood out for its first meal & drink. And will probably treat herself to a good dust bath to make up for lost time.

If any eggs are left unhatched, she might go back to the nest and set on them some more. But those usually won't hatch, though there may be live chicks in them. You could try sticking them under another broody, or in an incubator, and Mama might even adopt any chicks who hatch. Maybe not, and then you'll have orphans to raise. Chickens seem to play a numbers game, and are satisfied if just some of their eggs hatch. You don't have to go to extremes to hatch any leftovers if you don't want to.

Congratulations on your hatch! Right now I have 3 hens with chicks, another who hatched some on Thurs, and another hatching some tonight. Chicks rule!