1st time broody hen.....

[ellieseggyeggs]

Hi,
I have a (first time mum) broody Dorking hen which has been sitting on eggs for the full 21 days. The first chick hatched earlier today, but my broody doesnt seem to have any maternal instincts. If the chick pops her head out from beneath the hen, mum pecks at it ( and this hurts as i have found out to my peril when checking on the eggs) Would i be best to remove the chicks and put them under a heat lamp as they hatch or give mum more time to adjust????
When i have taken mum off the eggs today she just sits next to the nest and makes no attempt to go back on them until i lift her on- the chick has made its own way under mum.
Many thanks

 

[sumi]

Give the hen more time. Becoming a mom for the first time is a big deal and they sometimes need a little time to settle into it. I'll never forget, years ago one of my first time moms got such a fright when her first chick hatched, she took off like a plane, screaming her head off. I had to go pull her out of a tree and put her back on the nest. She turned out to be one of the best mother hens I ever had.

 

[ellieseggyeggs]

Thank you Sumi- i will see how she gets on tomorrow. I dont want to be too hasty but worried that if she has no maternal instinct will she show the chicks how to feed n find water. My last broody dorking hen which has hatched 8 chicks 3wks ago is such a fantastic mum, i was even thinking of bringing her back in as a surrogate mum now her chicks can fend for themselves.
I will let you know how she gets on. X