Newly hatched abandoned chicks advice needed.

[Nashelle]

Hi any advice would be welcome. My broody hen hatched 7 chicks and left the rest of the eggs in the best (I learnt too late about perils staggered hatching). I put the abandoned eggs in the greenhouse, came back a few hours later and two chicks were hatching.
The chicks are now under a brooding heat plate in a dog crate. I've put a hot water bottle half under there too but I'm wondering if this okay to do. I feel as if I should put a small teddy bear type thing in there too.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How long ago did this happen?
How long has she left the nest when the other 2 hatched?

If they have each other and a brooder plate, they should be fine. You could put something in the brooder for them to snuggle on if you wish, it won't hurt anything.

 

[Nashelle]

She left the nest three days ago and has been following the 7 chicks around and sitting on them even in the middle of food or water I tried to encourage her back on the eggs but she's lost interest so yesterday I took them away and after two hours in the greenhouse I had a surprise. These chicks are from two different breeds.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Cute chicks!

If she left the nest that long ago, then likely you will have to just brood them yourself. Hopefully once they get older you can integrate them with the weaned chicks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad they are doing well.

If you are brooding them with a heat plate, they really should get a full nights sleep unless they have a light on and can see to get around in the brooder.
I like using a plate better since they have a more natural sleep/wake cycle, they start to settle down when light gets low (dusk) and the begin stirring/moving awake at first light (dawn).

If you use a heat lamp, then they will have light 24/7 so they would need food/water available at all times and they will party at night and raise a ruckus

Sometime the bars on crate can be too wide and small chicks can slip through. Is there a way to cover the crate with some hardware cloth or other wire that will make it more secure and keep them in?

 

[Nashelle]

Chicks are getting cheekier each day. There's a barrier around the dog crate but they keep jumping until the get over it and through a hole. So I raise the barrier and they keep trying. It seems their main objective is to escape Luckily there's a net over the whole thing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ah...you turned the light off on them!
Yes, that will cause some peeping.
Moving the brooder to another room that has a window and it "naturally" starts to turn dark in the room will be better. Not to say they STILL won't peep trying to get someone (You) to come in. Chicks also seem to "call" each other and chirp/peep/trill as they settle in for the night too. It's worth a listen, but don't let them know you're there or they'll get amped up wanting to play.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

Thanks for your replies. Chicks seem to be doing well. They're in a dog crate and there's a larger crate outside so they can have time on the grass. But they keep trying to escape!
How long should they sleep at night and should I cover the crate with a blanket? There's conflicting info online. One article said they need 24hours of light.
It's 12am and just before I came to bed one chick woke up, stood at the front of the crate and cheeped loudly and insistently. Think it wanted to come out but I need some sleep

I recently had to do a similar chick rescue operation and my hen accepted the chicks I saved after 3 days. I waited until the other hatchlings were playing in the run and just popped the rejects in amongst them. She didn't seem to notice at all. I would definitely try to unite them.

 

[NatJ]

One of my hens went broody and hatch some chicks. They were hatched over multiple days. Oldest two are now 19 days old and youngest two are 10 days old.
That is, until today. This morning I discovered another chick. Hatched overnight. Karen (hen's name) left it behind and went free ranging in the backyard with her 8 little one.
The new chick was very cold. I took it home and put it in a towel lined laundry basket with a one of those brooder heaters above it. One that looks like a computer monitor.
I really want to get this one little chick back in hen's care.
How long do I keep it at home?

It usually works best to start a new thread, rather than asking your question in an existing thread.

You can try putting the chick back with the hen once it can run around well (maybe in a few days.) If it cannot keep up with the other chicks, it will get left behind and chilled again.

But considering how much younger it is, that chick might not do well if you try to put it back. Chicks that far apart in age just have different needs. The youngest one needs lots of time snuggling under the hen to get warm and take naps. The older chicks are ready to run around and do things for much longer stretches of time. The hen may choose to stay with the older, active chicks instead of taking proper care of the youngest one.

I do not know whether the chick will actually have trouble, or whether the hen will manage to meet the needs of all the chicks of different ages. The only way to know for sure is to try giving the chick back to her (once it is warm and mobile) and watch how it goes.

 

[Nashelle]

Hi Wyorp Rock, we learnt very quickly that the lil blighters can escape so the crate is all secure now

They have a heatplate but the crate is in the living room so there hasn't been a real transition from day to night. At 12am when I went to bed yesterday one chick protested very loudly at being left in the dark even though it had been under the plate when I switched the lights off. Maybe I need to move them to another room where the day to night thing won't be so sudden. I'm learning as I go here