Hi guys! Its been absolutely ages since I had a broody hen, so i didnt want to get my hopes up when my brown leghorn decided to hatch. yesterday two of her 5 eggs had hatched, and 1 had pipped. I checked her this morning and the pipped chick had died, the two chicks were lethargic in the basket, the two remaining eggs were cold and the hen was sitting in a different part of the shed.Now she is back in the basket. Im worried that maybe she wants to take her two chicks out of the nest, but the basket is much too high for them to get out of. Should I relocate them into a different, smaller basket? Im afraid to do so, as the hen went crazy when we tried to move her into a different basket on a previous hatching attempt, and Im afraid that the chicks are so young that a rat would easily pick them off if separated from their mother. theyre also chirping quite a bit, but I presume she is feeding them, shes never had chicks before. Thanks for any advice! Im just fair worried about them
She left the enclosure and the chicks became chilled. Fix things so that the chicks can stay with her at all times. You have to provide feed and water - she does not feed them but will lead them to the feed and water. They are very likely peeping because they are cold and hungry.
Put food and water where the chicks can get to them when they are out of that basket and turn that basket over so they can walk out. Then walk away. Let Mama take care of her chicks, she knows a lot more how to do that than any human. That’s how I do it. What special conditions do you have that makes you think they need to be imprisoned?
