Big Mama Has Hatched Her Chicks!!!!!!!

[branston]

My little Silkie hen has been sat on her two eggs for practically 24 hours a day for the last 21 days and this morning I hear peeps and saw a tiny little head pop out from under her wing!!!! Not sure if there is one or two chicks but will keep you posted and pics will follow soon. Isn't life and nature just simply amazing!
I would really like to keep these chicks but can I put them in with the flock when they are old enough? If they are hens the rooster is surely going to be jumping on them and well.....he's their daddy.....does that matter in chicken land?
Also, do I just leave Big Mama to raise her chicks or will I need to put them in the brooder with the heat lamp?
I've put medicated crumbles in there and taken the scratch and laying mash out. Anything else that I need to do??

 

[chicmom]

Oh congratulations! That is just awesome. I would let mama raise them. She'll do just fine. Mama will protect them and keep them warm and teach them all they need to know, and then they will join the flock. I don't think you have to worry about the father/daughter thing with chickens.

I would make sure the chicks are able to reach the food and water when the mother hen shows them where it is.

Can't wait to see pics!
Sharon

 

[Gypsy07]

Lots of breeders will deliberately mate father to daughter and/or son to mother when selectively breeding for a specific trait. The offspring only shares 50% of its genetic makeup with a parent. Sibling matings aren't a good idea though as two full siblings share 100% the same genetic makeup. And of course what the roo gets up to won't matter at all unless you're actually planning on hatching out the eggs. If you don't like the idea, you could tag the chicks with little coloured zip-ties round their legs (just remember to change the ties regularly as the chicks grow!) That way, if you decide to hatch out eggs in the future, you could separate those birds and temporarily keep them in a separate run so you wouldn't be hatching their eggs.

 

[SteveBaz]

congratulations!

 

[peepblessed]

Looking forward to pictures. Make sure your mama has access to calicium since she will not have the laying mash. Oyster shell is good.

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Congratulations!!!
My broody is 6 days from hatch, with 8 eggs beneath her.
I am so excited I can hardly stand it!
Hooray for babies!!!

 

[branston]

Aren't chickens just GREAT! I love em!!!!!