1st time hatching

[Ridgerunner]

the toolbox is about maybe 3 or 4 feet off the ground

I don't worry about a broody hen being able to get the chicks down. I've seen a hen get her chicks out of a 10' high hay loft. She said "jump" and they did, then hopped up and ran to her. Mine consistently hatch in nests as high as 4' off of the coop floor. Ny concern is can she get them up out of the tool box.

getting the chicks into the coop I don't think she will be able to do unless we r there to open the gate to their coop,

That is a risk. You need to make sure the chicks can follow the hen. Bedtime is mainly when I'd worry.

if we handle the chicks or will she freak out

She should be very protective of her babies. Some broody hens might let you handle her babies if she is a pet and used to being handled, but there is a real chance she will flog you if you pick up one of her babies.

or ignore them like wild birds to their babies if humans touch them?

I'm not sure wild birds actually do that. I think that's more something that people say to get others to leave those baby birds alone. But no, broody hens will not abandon their babies if a human touches them. Absolutely no worries about that.

 

[Aroostertoomany]

I don't worry about a broody hen being able to get the chicks down. I've seen a hen get her chicks out of a 10' high hay loft. She said "jump" and they did, then hopped up and ran to her. Mine consistently hatch in nests as high as 4' off of the coop floor. Ny concern is can she get them up out of the tool box.




That is a risk. You need to make sure the chicks can follow the hen. Bedtime is mainly when I'd worry.


She should be very protective of her babies. Some broody hens might let you handle her babies if she is a pet and used to being handled, but there is a real chance she will flog you if you pick up one of her babies.


I'm not sure wild birds actually do that. I think that's more something that people say to get others to leave those baby birds alone. But no, broody hens will not abandon their babies if a human touches them. Absolutely no worries about that.

well she had her babies i guess sometime this morning but they are still in the toolbox and i saw 2 of them and could hear them chirping before they peeped out. but i should move them out of there now right? she didnt seem super happy about me being close to her thats for sure, and what does flog mean? sorry im new at this chicken mother stuff. onlyi been at it about a yr and a half now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

i should move them out of there now right?

No, leave them alone. All of them may not have hatched yet. It can take well over 24 hours until all hatch. Since the chicks absorb the yolk they can typically go for over 72 hours after they hatch until they need to eat or drink. That is so the first to hatch can wait until the last hatch.

So how do you know when the hatch is over? I wait until the hen brings them off of the nest, sometimes in less than 24 hours, on occasions on the third day. But I don't know how hard it will be for those chicks to get up out of the tool box. Watch the hen and see when she wants to leave. See if the chicks can follow her.

she didnt seem super happy about me being close to her thats for sure, and what does flog mean?

Flogging is when she attacks you with her claws raised toward you and beats at you with her wings. Probably pecking at you with her beak. Pretty intimidating.

It sounds like she is protective of her babies. Good broody.

 

[Aroostertoomany]

No, leave them alone. All of them may not have hatched yet. It can take well over 24 hours until all hatch. Since the chicks absorb the yolk they can typically go for over 72 hours after they hatch until they need to eat or drink. That is so the first to hatch can wait until the last hatch.

So how do you know when the hatch is over? I wait until the hen brings them off of the nest, sometimes in less than 24 hours, on occasions on the third day. But I don't know how hard it will be for those chicks to get up out of the tool box. Watch the hen and see when she wants to leave. See if the chicks can follow her.


Flogging is when she attacks you with her claws raised toward you and beats at you with her wings. Probably pecking at you with her beak. Pretty intimidating.

It sounds like she is protective of her babies. Good broody.

So things went well, i left them like u suggested and i went in to see if she would let me get close to her and she let me pet her, so the following day {fri} when i got home from work i went straight outside to check on her and she was on the floor with 3 of them and the other two were stuck under a car part so i gathered them all up and put them in a box and fed them, they were all very hungry, i did find one egg that was open with the beak showing but not alive of course, it was sad but i was very surprised that after a little while my husband went back in to check out his toolbox and there was still another chick in there that u could barely see hidden under the rope she had been laying on but this one seemed younger than the rest. she cant even walk that well or stand up too good like maybe it was hatched after the others, do u think it will survive being the runt? anyway we put her in a lay box and tried to let the other birds kinda see what was going on but the ducks were actually trying to get to her chicks is what my husband said, now should i leave her in the pen or separate somehow and for how long, im sorry i ask so many questions, i need to do some more research on these birds. lol my chicken book didnt have all this stuff in it,lol.

 

[Ridgerunner]

there was still another chick in there that u could barely see hidden under the rope she had been laying on but this one seemed younger than the rest. she cant even walk that well or stand up too good like maybe it was hatched after the others, do u think it will survive being the runt?

I'm not sure what happened but if it survives the next few hours it has a great chance.

anyway we put her in a lay box and tried to let the other birds kinda see what was going on but the ducks were actually trying to get to her chicks is what my husband said, now should i leave her in the pen or separate somehow and for how long,

I leave mine alone and let the hen take care of everything. But you are seeing issues with those ducks. Go by what you see, not what some stranger over the internet like me tells you that you will see. Each situation is different and you have to be flexible. Many people like to isolate the hen and chicks for a while before they let them roam with the rest of the flock. That gives the chicks a chance to eat and drink without the rest bothering them and lets the chicks get more active. Some people do that for a couple of days, some for a week. Some people do totally different things.

 

[Aroostertoomany]

I'm not sure what happened but if it survives the next few hours it has a great chance.


I leave mine alone and let the hen take care of everything. But you are seeing issues with those ducks. Go by what you see, not what some stranger over the internet like me tells you that you will see. Each situation is different and you have to be flexible. Many people like to isolate the hen and chicks for a while before they let them roam with the rest of the flock. That gives the chicks a chance to eat and drink without the rest bothering them and lets the chicks get more active. Some people do that for a couple of days, some for a week. Some people do totally different things.

so far so good, and the one that got left behind is doing just fine too, they are in the coop just in a separate isolated unit, some of the hens wanted to peck at the babies and they r so small there r some spots they could get out of the coop and get lost, but all is well, thank you for all your help.