broody hen hatching chicks - does it know what it's doing?

[firefowl]

update

Checked the nest this morning and the hen appears to be sitting on the chicks but I couldn't see or hear them. Would it be safe to pick her up gently to see if the chicks are still alive? It's pretty cold and rainy today

The other hen was sitting next to it on one of the remaining OE eggs but got off as soon as I opened the door. I felt the egg it was warm, so i shut the door straight away after I replenished the water.

What feed should I put near the hen? I don't have any chick starter only layer feed, gamebird starter and gamebird feed. Which one should I put out?

I took the 3 maran eggs to the incubator because she appeared to sit back on the OE eggs. One of the maran eggs hatched overnight (the one with the pip), here's a photo.

It's not ready to come out the incubator yet is it? It's eyes still seem to be shut and it can't move around very well. I'm used to quails which are ready to get out nearly straight away.

When would be a good time to put the chick under the hen? I don't want to raise this chick myself as my only brooder is being used for quails.

 

[firefowl]

Ok I just put some feed near the broody and I saw the 2 chicks alive and well, she's still sitting on one egg and for some reason the other one is under the non-broody hen.

If she’s not sitting on them, put them under her at night or incubate them. Check if they’re still viable first

I thought the eggs aren't supposed to be moved at all when they are about to hatch? What if they are placed in the wrong orientation so the chick can't get out?

It sounds like they could be shipped eggs. Sometimes you just don’t get a good hatch for shipped eggs. Sometimes you don’t anyway but shipped eggs are notorious for that. Still congratulations on the two you did get. Since you mentioned today is 21 days I assume they all started at the same time, which is good.

Not shipped eggs I bought them from a hobby farm that bred them herself, she only charged $5 for the 6 of them. Yes I put them all under at the same time.

After an egg internal pips but before the chick external pips the hen and chick start talking to each other. That way the hen should know another chick is on the way and does not abandon the nest too early. Not all broody hens are perfect about that but the odds are really good there are no more viable eggs if she has abandoned them. Still you can candle them if you wish or put them in the incubator for a couple of days. With living animals you don’t get guarantees, I’d do one or the other. But don’t get your hopes up too high.

Damn. I kinda suspected that might have been the case, I wish I did leave them. Hopefully she will accept the chick that has hatched in the incubator

 

[Sagey_7878]

Ok I just put some feed near the broody and I saw the 2 chicks alive and well, she's still sitting on one egg and for some reason the other one is under the non-broody hen.



I thought the eggs aren't supposed to be moved at all when they are about to hatch? What if they are placed in the wrong orientation so the chick can't get out?



Not shipped eggs I bought them from a hobby farm that bred them herself, she only charged $5 for the 6 of them. Yes I put them all under at the same time.



Damn. I kinda suspected that might have been the case, I wish I did leave them. Hopefully she will accept the chick that has hatched in the incubator

Only check if you have serious doubts... What day are the eggs on?

 

[firefowl]

You could hatch them, then slip them back under her.

Can you elaborate on how to do this without it rejecting the hatched chick? I imagine that she would peck it away if I just put it under her. Night time while she's sleeping without waking her up?

 

[Sagey_7878]

Can you elaborate on how to do this without it rejecting the hatched chick? I imagine that she would peck it away if I just put it under her. Night time while she's sleeping without waking her up?

Put it under her at night

 

[Ladybird CA]

You did the right thing. Leaving the eggs with her not sitting on them would've caused them to die. The non broody hen might also be getting broody or she could have been there to lay an egg. It wouldn't hurt to candle them- just bring them to a dark room, put a flashlight/torch through each egg and put it back in the nest, they get rolled by their nest mates anyway.

 

[featheredplanets]

I would give the chicks any starter feed you have until you get chicken chick crumble, no layer. It won’t hurt to candle the eggs, broody eggs are not the same as incubator eggs and the chicks will still pip and zip. Let all the chicks hatch in the incubator and fluff up. Once all the chicks are hatched and fluffy, at night, take one at a time and slowly push them under her from behind without her seeing. I learned pretending to take eggs is a good distraction and hide the chicks in my sleeve. Check on them in the morning, if she rejects them, which is likely, you’ll have to raise them.

 

[Ladybird CA]

oops I meant put them back in the incubator, or electric nest

too early here in Canada, going back to sleep. Hope it works out well.

 

[firefowl]

thanks for the advice guys, all very helpful

damn I put layer feed out. It would have mostly been eaten by the mother though. tomorrow I'll replenish with gamebird starter until I get some chicken starter.

by the time the little chick was fluffy it was 9pm so I slipped it under the broody. She was awake but didn't notice me do it, hopefully when I check tomorrow she hasn't rejected it.

when I went to get the little one I noticed another one just hatched. By morning it will be fluffy and would have been in there a good 15 hours. Probably best I put her under the broody straight away as it would need to eat and drink right?

There's only two eggs left now if they don't hatch tomorrow I will candle

 

[featheredplanets]

thanks for the advice guys, all very helpful

damn I put layer feed out. It would have mostly been eaten by the mother though. tomorrow I'll replenish with gamebird starter until I get some chicken starter.

by the time the little chick was fluffy it was 9pm so I slipped it under the broody. She was awake but didn't notice me do it, hopefully when I check tomorrow she hasn't rejected it.

when I went to get the little one I noticed another one just hatched. By morning it will be fluffy and would have been in there a good 15 hours. Probably best I put her under the broody straight away as it would need to eat and drink right?

There's only two eggs left now if they don't hatch tomorrow I will candle

Sounds good so far, I think placing them under her staggered is quite a good idea. I hope all goes well for you