Broody smothered the chicks :(

[cestial225]

My lil silkie pullet hatched out three chicks yesterday. I just checked on them and all three are dead in the nest. I am so upset over it. I just assumed that she would be a good mama. She is still just sitting on them and the other three eggs. And she is still letting the barred rocks lay in the nest on top of her chicks. I pulled a fresh egg out of there today. So I am going to get rid of the dead chicks and let her sit on the other three eggs for a few days to see if they will hatch. How long will she keep sitting?

 

[BorneHomestead]

It might not be the broody that killed the chicks if you are allowing other hens to go in and lay eggs in the same nest. I might have been those other hens. I would separate the mom and any other eggs she was hatching out to a nest isolated from your other hens.

 

[mstricer]

Ditto that was my thought also

 

[cestial225]

If I block her off from the rest of the flock you think she will be upset about not being able to leave the coop? She still goes out to forage for 10-20 minutes a day while sitting even though there is food in the coop. I guess I should let her try to hatch again? Will she sit another three weeks?

 

[mstricer]

Probably not. what was wrong with the other 3 eggs. Does she have room to get off the nest and eat and drink and poop?

 

[cestial225]

Nothing wrong with the other three eggs other than they haven't hatched yet. Well they had not hatched as of this morning. My plan is to block off her corner of the coop and give her a few more days with the eggs she is sittin on and if they haven't hatched I will give her a few more to try again.

 

[mstricer]

candle them

 

[cestial225]

Eggs were dead so I tossed them and put new eggs under her. Today I saw one of my barred rocks sitting on top of her laying an egg. So I am sure it was a barred rock that killed the chicks.

 

[mstricer]

Eggs were dead so I tossed them and put new eggs under her. Today I saw one of my barred rocks sitting on top of her laying an egg. So I am sure it was a barred rock that killed the chicks.

Sorry to here that, well try, try again. Do you have more then one nesting box? You could get her and area where she could be by herself, I use a small dog cage in my coop for my broodies, at hatch time, I move the eggs and set the hen on them and lock the door, I put water and food in the cage after chicks hatch, last 3 days she probably won't leave until they hatch

 

[cestial225]

I have 4 nesting boxes and only 7 hens currently old enough to lay. She is not in a nest that they were using but they decided that they want to lay where ever my broody is. This weekend I am building her a broody pen to keep her separate.