Broody Hen - I gave her fertilized eggs!

[SusanPC]

UPDATE DAY 16. Unfortunately, we discovered Daisy's one egg broken today when we went to force her off the nest for a few minutes. After candling at day 7 and seeing growth from day 4, I candled again at day 14 (2 days ago) and everything looked on track. She hadn't left the nest since this Monday (no food or even scratch touched in her broody pen and no poops), so we thought she might benefit from a forced break. When we lifted her off the nest, the egg was smashed flat like a pancake. A few bits of errant shell here and there, but mostly it looks like it just broke or cracked and broke. The little embryo was in there and looked on target for size and development for around day 16. She seemed weak and pale (feet and comb) with a strange walk and eventually fluffed herself out and did her routine of loud cackle, dust bath, pop up to the bench to preen and then eat, drink, and poop. My husband and I quickly talked out Plan B of giving her chicks around day 21. We got two of our own hens' in(un)fertile eggs warmed up in our pockets and placed into the nest and called our local feed stores. Chicks arrive on Feb. 9th. If she returns to the nest and sits on the new eggs we placed, we are going to attempt to swap the new eggs overnight next week around what would have been her day 21. Of course, this Plan B all depends on her returning to brood the 2 new eggs. If she breaks her broodiness on her own, this adventure will be over.

Any doubts about switching out eggs for live chicks? I know we are taking a risk of her rejecting the chicks or potentially even killing them. We do have our brooder set-up to take over if they are rejected and we will be out there bright and early to hopefully avoid a massacre. Has anyone successfully practiced the egg for chick switch? I've seen threads about it here online...

Susan

 

[JadedPhoenix]

I'd still pop two or three chicks under her in the dead of night. She will likely think she hatched them out herself.

 

[krista74]

Sorry it ended so badly for you, and I agree that giving her some day old chicks is the way to go.

I would start now by making sure her nest is secure. No cracks or holes that the chicks could get caught up/stuck in. Make sure her enclosure is separated so that the chicks can't wander off and away from her that first night. A fine wire around the enclosure should help with that. Replace her water bowl with a shallow one filled with marbles so the chicks can't drown in it. Put in a bowl of chick starter for them to eat as obviously they can't eat layer's feed.

Wait until it's completely dark. Take a helper with you, and a good torch. Be very quiet, very calm and very swift!

Gently remove the eggs in the nest and pass them to your helper. Then take each new chick and put it under her. Try to disturb Momma as little as possible. Then quiet as a mouse, walk away and hope for the best!

It should work - I've seen it done on Youtube many times so you might like to check that out, and lots of people have done it successfully here on BYC. There will always be a few horror stories, and a peck or two as they adjust may occur, but my suspicions are that she will take them on just fine.

Give her a few chicks if you can, not just one or two. If you get two and one passes then you are left with one - and an only chick is a lonely chick. I would try with four or five myself. That's a lie. I would try with ten! Probably under the conditions anywhere between 4 to 7 would be ideal.

I don't think you have to wait for Day 21. I'd just make sure she goes back to the eggs you set today, and then order her chicks straight away.

GOOD LUCK!

- Krista

 

[SusanPC]

Thanks so much for the support and great advice! The big switcheroo takes place tonight! We got a great variety of chicks from a local breeder. I couldn't resist and wound up with 9 chicks. My co-worker would like some of them so I ended up getting 3 gold-laced Wyandottes, 3 Silkies, a light-colored Ameracauna, a Japanese bantam, and a Marans.

We are going to only put the 3 Wyandottes in with her tonight and then if she seems accepting in the morning, we can give her the rest. I am a nervous wreck. All the chicks hatched either overnight or today. One of the silkies actually was removed straight out of the incubator. I forgot how amazing chicks are! I hope she doesn't hurt any of them. We plan on being around as the sun rises to see how it all goes and intervene if necessary. I know I am not going to sleep a wink tonight knowing those babies are under my egg smashing hen. Wish me luck and I will post an update.

Susan

 

[krista74]

Just a quiet word of advice....

If it were me, I'd give her all of the chicks at once.

My concern is that if you give her 3 to start off with, and she bonds with those chicks overnight, she may see the others as somebody else's chicks intruding on her nest.

Because after all, if they were her chicks, they all would have hatched around the same time....

GOOD LUCK, no matter which way you decide to go!

- Krista

 

[SusanPC]

We did wind up up giving her all the chicks at oncee even though I read your post this morning. It just seemed like a better idea when we started gathering them. All for one and one for all.. They are all still tucked into the nest box even though the sun has been up for a while. I understand she/they may not come out today at all. So far occasional peeps from the chicks but nothing scary sounding. I worry about the Bantam chicks, especially the Japanese bantam. That was probably not a good idea, but so hard to resist chicks! I am so bitten by the chicken bug!

 

[SusanPC]

Update! So far I have seen 4 different chicks come to the front of the nest box, but no one is brave enough to venture out. One of them is the Japnese bantam so I feel good about that. Oops I spoke too soon, two just wandered out and then ran back for safety. No silkies yet...

 

[Cluckies]

Oh it sounds like it is going well, yey! So exciting! How is mama doing?

 

[SusanPC]

Mama is still hunkered down in broody mode. She growled a bit when the other hens went up to the enclosure barrier to see what all the peeping is about, but I haven't seen any aggression toward the chicks even when they wandered out and in. My biggest worry now (I have about 100 different ones) is that she's smashed or suffocated some chicks under her (since she broke her eggs). Only time will tell. It's going to really warm up here today to the 70s so I am hoping they will all wander out a bit today so I can get a headcount.

 

[SusanPC]

Hallelujah! This so exciting. I checked the nest box and there was one sleepy silkie left in there, so I prodded him/her to Mama. So far, all is well. Thanks so much for all your input and support!