Broody Hen Baby Died

[Abbkayx]

I definitely raise mine in the flock but at about 3 days old so the Chicks are up and Momma has them up and eating..My Roosters are always good dads..

Thats a good idea! Thank you for your help. I’ll see if she takes the babies tonight and separate her out for a while, if so.

She seems to be missing the baby, she has sat in the same spot all day, and when she does get up she calls for it. I just feel awful. It was about 4 days old. Got around great, kept right up with her. So I’m not sure what happened.

 

[chickens really]

Thats a good idea! Thank you for your help. I’ll see if she takes the babies tonight and separate her out for a while, if so.

She seems to be missing the baby, she has sat in the same spot all day, and when she does get up she calls for it. I just feel awful. It was about 4 days old. Got around great, kept right up with her. So I’m not sure what happened.

I'm thinking someone either attacked it or tried to steal it because that happens..Definitely as Momma gets her hormones changed from hatching and to Momma protective mode no one generally bothers with her babies then. That's why I wait about 3 to 5 days before going into the flock..

 

[Shadrach]

Shes a bantam, and could only properly sit on about 4-5 of them... hence why I removed some. They all weren’t under her, and would have stopped developing.

To say that if I had left them there, it would have gone better is just silly. I would have lost 4+ babies that way, rather than one.

I have bantams here. Provided the nest is suitable they will cope with 10 to 12 eggs.
Here the bantams regularly sit on eight.
There is an article in my articles page with a picture of a bantam sitting on 12 eggs. She hatched 11. One egg wasn't fertile.

 

[Abbkayx]

I have bantams here. Provided the nest is suitable they will cope with 10 to 12 eggs.
Here the bantams regularly sit on eight.
There is an article in my articles page with a picture of a bantam sitting on 12 eggs. She hatched 11. One egg wasn't fertile.

And that’s regular sized eggs, or bantam eggs?

 

[Shadrach]

Just to make my point absolutely clear.
These were all bantam eggs. I reduced her pile form 24 eggs to 12 when I moved her.

These were a mixture of Marans eggs and bantam eggs. She sat on 9 and in the end hatched 7.

Both the hens are small bantams.
I won't post more but I want to make it quite clear to anyone else that reads this that a bantam hen given a suitable nest and left to get on with the job is quite capable of hatching more than 4 or 5 eggs even if they are full sized.

 

[Abbkayx]

Just to make my point absolutely clear.
These were all bantam eggs. I reduced her pile form 24 eggs to 12 when I moved her.
View attachment 1841198

These were a mixture of Marans eggs and bantam eggs. She sat on 9 and in the end hatched 7.
View attachment 1841199
Both the hens are small bantams.
I won't post more but I want to make it quite clear to anyone else that reads this that a bantam hen given a suitable nest and left to get on with the job is quite capable of hatching more than 4 or 5 eggs even if they are full sized.

Glad yours worked out so well. Unfortunately being her third time broody and every time she has only hatched one and left the nest, I figured I would intervene before it was too late. Also all the eggs were full sized eggs. Every time I checked on her, there were continuously at least 4 eggs right out of the nest she couldn’t cover. I made the best decision for my hen and myself that I saw fit.

 

[Abbkayx]

Just to make my point absolutely clear.
These were all bantam eggs. I reduced her pile form 24 eggs to 12 when I moved her.
View attachment 1841198

These were a mixture of Marans eggs and bantam eggs. She sat on 9 and in the end hatched 7.
View attachment 1841199
Both the hens are small bantams.
I won't post more but I want to make it quite clear to anyone else that reads this that a bantam hen given a suitable nest and left to get on with the job is quite capable of hatching more than 4 or 5 eggs even if they are full sized.

I personally choose to be on the cautious side and rather than just assume she can hatch a large batch because someone else’s hen can, start small to improve hatch rates. I am happy with my decision, because as of now - all fertile eggs have fully developed 2/8 hatched, and 6 more left viable in the incubator. But obviously choosing to increase hatch rates rather than risk it, is a personal choice. Again I’m glad you’ve had such good luck with your girls.

 

[aart]

Aside from that she also has abandoned her extra eggs the last 3 times she’s gone broody, as soon as the first baby is born.

Unfortunately being her third time broody and every time she has only hatched one and left the nest,

I would have not let her set after the second time.

 

[Abbkayx]

I would have not let her set after the second time.

Yeah I won’t let her after this last time. I assumed the last two were because they were staggered hatches... everyone wants to lay in the same box unfortunately. But this time we kept her separate in her nest and all eggs were set at the same time. I left her the 3, and when she got off after the first baby I came to the conclusion that she can’t have anymore babies lol.

 

[chickens really]

Yeah I won’t let her after this last time. I assumed the last two were because they were staggered hatches... everyone wants to lay in the same box unfortunately. But this time we kept her separate in her nest and all eggs were set at the same time. I left her the 3, and when she got off after the first baby I came to the conclusion that she can’t have anymore babies lol.

Well I'll disagree and say set her up in a private setting and she will probably hatch out all Chicks and be an excellent Momma too..