Leighanne777
Hatching
- May 22, 2024
- 1
- 1
- 4
We had a hen with quite a few eggs under her, about 2 weeks ago 4 hatched then she abandoned the unhatched eggs a day later. We checked the eggs for life and noticed veins in the one, we didnt want it to die, it was due to hatch any time. I put the abandoned egg under a new broody hen who has only been on her eggs for a week or so.
The aboned egg hatched a few days later, so we tried to put the chick with its birth mama, but the other chicks where just too far ahead. So i gave the chick back to the broody hen, as she was attacking me because i took the chick. I actually thouggt that the chick would eventually die because she would not leave her eggs to learn this one, but to my surprise, the chick is 10 days old now and she is still religiously on her eggs.
I heard chicks chirping(crying) and noticed that 2 of her eggs has hatched and she is pecking at their heads quite aggressively while the the adopted chick is attacking the newly hatchlings' at their legs.
I took the hatchlings away from her until i get this figured out.
Is she rejecting her own chicks as they are smaller and weaker than the adopted chick Will she reject all 13 of her own? Not sure what to do?
Is this normal?
The aboned egg hatched a few days later, so we tried to put the chick with its birth mama, but the other chicks where just too far ahead. So i gave the chick back to the broody hen, as she was attacking me because i took the chick. I actually thouggt that the chick would eventually die because she would not leave her eggs to learn this one, but to my surprise, the chick is 10 days old now and she is still religiously on her eggs.
I heard chicks chirping(crying) and noticed that 2 of her eggs has hatched and she is pecking at their heads quite aggressively while the the adopted chick is attacking the newly hatchlings' at their legs.
I took the hatchlings away from her until i get this figured out.
Is she rejecting her own chicks as they are smaller and weaker than the adopted chick Will she reject all 13 of her own? Not sure what to do?
Is this normal?
It's odd that she continued setting after the first chick hatched, but that was likely due to the fact she had only been setting for a short period of time. She is bonded to the early chick and is confused and regarding the new chicks as strangers/competitors. She may refuse to accept the new chicks. I would monitor closely in case her aggression escalates. Good luck resolving this. I have never have good success with staggered hatches, and this is what you have sort of created by fostering the early chick to the hen.
