Thank you for sharing. I'm taking some time to consider what we should do at this point. So much to consider. Keep them up here in a brooder for a week to get more feathers, move other momma and her chicks to the flock and put these in that brooder/run and trust they will huddle to keep warm or...
A little late for this post but wanted to share our experiance last year. We had record heat waves. Incredible 🔥. 110- 121 degree, dry weather according to our outdoor thermometers. I was so concerned. I put plenty of shallow baking trays with cold water for them to walk in. Added ice cubes to...
You are right. Both are first time mommas that went broody before 1yr old. Could have something to do with it. I wish Kisses would take them under her wing but she treats them like invaders. So gotta figure out today what the plan is.
Last night she left them alone in the coop. Today she left them alone down by the run and went with the flock exploring most of the day. She isn't attending them at all. She again left them alone tonight. I might put her and the chicks into the brooder run and see if she has any interest...
UPDATE: Momma hen 'Hugs' has decided she is bored with her 19 day old chicks and choose to rejoin the flock. Tonight the temps are dropping to 58 so we made the decision to bring them up in brooder box in our garage where it is alot warmer. Will take them back in the morning to be with the...
Thank you for sharing. Today I opened everyone up and aside from the 2 mother hens putting eachother in check a little, it appears all is ok. I am nervous but trying not to interfere. I can't be down there watching all the time. One of the Aunt hens seems to want to hang around the mothers and...
I always assumed momma hen and chicks seperate themseves around 6 to 8 weeks. I've never let them do the raising in the flock before so I suppose I will find out. Hopefully the rooster keeps helping the way he is even after momma goes on her way. Last year I kept momma seperated with her chicks...
UPDATE: Interesting observations. It's been 9 days since 1st hatch 6 days since 2nd hatch. We have let Hugs go about her business raising her 7 chicks, we have opened Kisses to mingle as she wishes with her 8 chicks. In the beginning the rooster placed rules on the hens and literally blocked...
:weeUPDATE : HUGS IS NOW A MOMMA TOO! Today is day 19 and I see a wee little baby. By morning maybe she will have lots of babies. It's early hatch but all looks well. Closing the hen house door yesterday did the trick. Opened it this morning and she stayed on her clutch.
Kisses is doing great...
UPDATE: Today has been a bit of a struggle with broody 2. She has got off eggs 3 times and went to broody 1 trying to help thru the fence. I picked her up and put her back on her nest. She settles in and stays for a good while. Her eggs have not got cold when this happened. The last time she was...
Agreed, what a disappointment with your bators. I can say, under my Kisses broody I was shocked every single one of the clutch I gave her hatched exactly as they should have. All alive, all within 24hrs most or all on day 20. Momma took them out today in Broody run area. Only 1 chick seems...
UPDATE: Late yesterday our O Broody that still has 4 days to hatch got interested in the chicks on the hen house floor. Both hens were struggling to care for chicks literally on top of eachother. They were not fight or anything but It didn't appear safe for the chicks. Out of concern the chicks...