A chick finally hatched! Now What??

[HAL-D]

Morning everyone!

We've had layers for over a year, and have raised meat birds, so we have some experience, but this is new. When I told a friend of ours that I have a silkie mom who just sits on eggs all day long, she suggested I leave some there for her to hatch. Well it worked! This morning I go into the barn to do chores and low and behold I hear a little chick chirping! I was so excited! I ran and got the kids right away! I can't believe I was so excited about one little chick!

Anyhow, now what? The mom has always taken up this corner in the coop under a shelf. She's pretty tucked away, but still open to the other hens and our rooster. So, should I worry about the chick? She's a really good mom. Right away when I put food down she was showing the chick how to eat and drink water. Now, right away the other hens went to eat the food I'd put down for the chick even though they have their own layer feed. So here are my questions:

1. should I separate the mom and chick from the rest of the flock? Or should I just let them be? Another note, there is still an un-hatched egg under mom. Should hatch in a couple days I think.
2. what should I feed the chick, and should I keep the food for the chick separate from the food for the mom?
3. If so, then how do I do that?
4. do I have to give the chick medicated chick feed? or can it be natural, like a scratch mixture of crushed corn. oats and barley?

All the hens are let out all day rain or shine and are free range, and I give them some layer feed in their buckets at night when they come in.

The rooster is calm and a really great guy, so I don't think he would harm the chick.

Thanks for any and all help!

Greatly appreciated!

 

[Monkeybean415]

Don't move them until the other egg hatches. If you can block the area somehow until the other egg hatches that might be a good idea.

I separated my broody and chicks after hatching just to be sure they stay safe. I think for at least the first week would be good.

I wouldn't give them medicated feed because then your layers will eat it and I don't think you'd want to eat those eggs. You can get unmedicated chick starter. They can eat scratch too- mama will forage with them but make sure they get some grit too. If you do decide to keep them out with the layers you'll need to switch the whole flock to starter because the extra calcium can make new chicks sick. And then just put oyster shell or egg shells somewhere special for the layers only.

Congrats on your new chick!

 

[HAL-D]

Thanks for the info! I do have mama and the one chick sectioned off in the coop right now. I put water and some scratch in there with her. Will definitely keep them separate until the other hatches. When would be a good time to put more eggs under mama? Also, pardon my ignorance, but what is grit?

Oh and one more thing....how do you tell the sex of a chick? If I got a layer or a rooster?

Thanks!

 

[Monkeybean415]

The hen will want to raise the chicks she probably won't want to sit anymore but she might. You'll have to wait and see when she decides to go broody again. Or if you want to raise the chicks in a brooder instead of having her raise them.

As far as sexing I don't think there's any way other than waiting. The way hatcheries do it is with a trained person and a magnifying glass it's really hard to see I think.

 

[HAL-D]

Thanks for the info. I'll play it by ear and watch her. I have a few silkie chickens and several are broody mamas, so maybe I'll try another hen. I did google how to sex a chick, and I see that you have to look at the wings. The ones that have feathers all the same length are the roosters, and the ones that have the inner ones short and the wing tips longer are the hens, so I'll have to get a hold of the chick and check it out!

thanks again....oh what is grit?

 

[Monkeybean415]

Oh sorry missed that question grit is small rocks that chickens need to help digest their food. If they're free ranging they don't need it but if they're in a coop or brooder and eating something other than chick starter they should be getting grit to help grind up the food they're eating. Good luck!

I've never heard about the wing thing. You could also always try to post some pics on here to see if anyone can tell

 

[appps]

You need to buy some chick starter. It has everything the chick needs and as mum isn't laying at the moment is fine for her to eat as well.

Check your water bowl. Chicks can easily drown so make sure it is shallow, or add some large pebbles to make it less of a drowning hazard.

Every flock is different so there is no way to tell if she will be okay with everyone else or not. Keep a sharp eye on them at all times when with the rest of the flock until you know how aggressive the others will be. In my case they ignored the chick but started attacking the mum because being all puffed up and protective of her chick they took it as her trying to forget her place at the bottom of our flocks ladder. I had to keep them seperate but within sight of the flock till she got over that super protective stage around 6 weeks, then I could let them all back together.

Wing sexing only works on certain breeds. If you hatched a silkie you will most likely have to wait till it crows to find out if it's a boy ;-)

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Quote:

The wing thing only works with certain breeds and only in a limited amount of time. Like the first 24 or less hours.

 

[HAL-D]

Thanks again for the info. I put 2 red hen eggs, (they are red sex-link or red-x eggs) under our silkie. So the chicks are not silkie chicks. Didn't know that the wing sexing only works for certain breeds. I'll have to look into that, thank you. Also didn't know chicks could drown. I put a water bucket in the brooder with our meat chicks when they were about 2 days old, and they would hop in and swim around while drinking. This is a new one for me! I'll keep her separate for a while with her chick or chicks depending on whether the other egg hatches and see how that goes! I feel bad because it means that she can't go out though, even though she barely went out at all since sitting on the eggs. I think she left them for a total of about 1 hour to go outside the entire time! The way our coop is set up, there's only one exit in the coop and I can't make another for her, unfortunately. Anyhow, I'll update as things move along.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Monkeybean415]

Thanks again for the info.  I put 2 red hen eggs, (they are red sex-link  or red-x eggs) under our silkie.  So the chicks are not silkie chicks.  Didn't know that the wing sexing only works for certain breeds.  I'll have to look into that, thank you.  Also didn't know chicks could drown.  I put a water bucket in the brooder with our meat chicks when they were about 2 days old, and they would hop in and swim around while drinking.  This is a new one for me!  I'll keep her separate for a while with her chick or chicks depending on whether the other egg hatches and see how that goes!  I feel bad because it means that she can't go out though, even though she barely went out at all since sitting on the eggs.  I think she left them for a total of about 1 hour to go outside the entire time!  The way our coop is set up, there's only one exit in the coop and I can't make another for her, unfortunately.  Anyhow, I'll update as things move along.

Thanks again everyone!

If they're red sex link then they'll be easy to sex right away which is a perk to the breed. A red sexlink rooster is white with red around the pyle areas. The hens are orangey or reddish with white around the hackles. there isn't really any trick with that breed and yes, very new chicks can drown which is why they make the tiny waterers for chicks and it's recommended to put marbles or rocks in it for the first weeks to keep that from happening.