I am hoping someone here can help me out! I had a momma Bantam Cochin hatch out 6 eggs, two on Friday, two on Saturday and the trouble started on Sunday...I had them in a coop all their own but our temperatures dropped drastically and we got snow (I'm located in the northeast where we have been having freak weather for the month of April) it was a small coop with only a small vent and I didn't go out and check them first thing Sunday morning first because I was sick overnight and secondly I thought I shouldn't disturb them with the cold temps, whenever I would go out and look they would be under momma and I always felt like I disrupted them. I did go out later in the morning and I discovered two more had hatched but that 4 of them had died. I can only assume from the cold? The two that survived were the first two that had hatched so probably the strongest? I quickly moved the momma hen and her two remaining chicks inside my garage into a brooder. What I want to know is when should I return her to that coop? It's only supposed to warm into the 50's by the weekend? Should I just leave her and the babies inside a brooder for a week or so (seems cruel to momma hen) or should I return her and try to set up a heat lamp in the outside coop? Please any suggestions I would appreciate. I have 7 more eggs hatching in about 10 days so I need to make a move somehow in that time frame.
Here is the coop.
Inside the coop (only shows about half of the space plus there are two nesting boxes.
Momma with her two babies left inside my brooder in the garage.
Here is the coop.
Inside the coop (only shows about half of the space plus there are two nesting boxes.
Momma with her two babies left inside my brooder in the garage.