Broody won't get off the nest with new chicks...what to do?

[katita]

Great inputs..My leghorn broody mom and her sisters all jump into the nest and smash newborn chicks..i learned that i have to remove them as soon as possible let them eat their egg shells..because if i dont they end up picked and smashed..it horrible but i know they are carnivours. no reason for envious..they are well fed.please open suggestions?

 

[3riverschick]

Hi, I get frustrated when I read about chicks "failing to thrive". Sigh. If course there are chicks which sometimes fail to thrive. But there is also the simply "needy" chick whose symptoms can often mirror the "failure to thrive" chick until it is too late to help it recover. It helps a lot if we think of our chicks as walking G.I tracts. If you are laughing now, just stop reading because you probably won't appreciate what I have to share. If not, read on.
A chick is not born fully developed. It is born in a survivable condition but the body systems in a neonate continue to mature after the chick is hatched. These body systems receive what they need to mature most properly and efficiently from nutrients sent to them originally from the G.I. tract. When it comes to proper maturation of the chick's body systems the G.I. tract is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
We know that the chick needs to be allowed to finish digesting the yolk sac after it hatches. Otherwise its health can be compromised later. That's why chicks don't need food for the 1st 2 days. They need water and energy. Sometimes a chick is hatched and is weak. This doesn't mean it has " failure to thrive". It just just means it needs energy, tho it can be difficult to tell the difference in a very young chick.
What should we then do? We need a way to get energy into the chick. But the weak chick should still be digesting it's yolk sac so feeding it is no good since it still needs to digest the yolk sac. Water is good but doesn't give it energy. What frustration! We could put electrolytes in its water and that might help but if the chick is quite weak, the electrolytes still need to be digested and weakness in the chick inhibits the G.I. tract's ability to uptake nutrients.
Wait, what? I am giving these helps to the chick and it can't uptake them efficiently? To a critical extent, yes. After a time, the weak chick will reach a tipping point where the lack of efficient uptake of offered helps will cause the body systems to lack help to the extent that they start to cascade in failure. When that happens, the chick will probably die. Because they are simple little creatures and it is probably too late to stop the cascade.
So what we need to do is interdict that weakness timeline and supply the chick with nutrients and energy it can efficiently uptake in its weakened condition...in time to restore its strength , immune system ,and nutrient balance so it can thrive.
How do we do this if the chick cannot efficiently uptake helps in its weakened condition? Well we need to be able to bypass the G.I. tract and the digestive system and get the helps directly into the bloodstream. What? How do we do that?
There are products which do this. Bovidr Labs makes a line of emergency nutritional supplements called Nutri-Drench and Nutri-Drops. Notice they are Nutritional supplements, not energy supplements. Bovidr realizes just energy will not do, the neonate also needs to be given nutrients to keep the energy flowing. They are all natural, . They do not need to be digested. They are absorbed thru the mouth, throat, etc. and mainline directly into the bloodstream. Measurable in 30 minutes in the bloodstream with 99% utilization. http://www.nutridrench.com They give the chicks nutrients which result in energy to thrive. The difference between your "failure to thrive" (FTT) and a simply needy chick will become rapidly apparent. The needy chick will get its energy back. The FTT chick,? well FTT is it's problem, sigh.
I've used these formulas on my collies and poultry for over a decade. When I use them, I do not have sudden deaths, weak or sick chicks (or collies) . I have robust chicks which grow nicely. I also put the 2ml per gallon in their water for the 1st 2-3 weeks to get them off to a strong start. It is the only supplement I use.
Poultry directions: Newly hatched or newly arrived shipped chicks: Give each chick one drop only by mouth.
Repeat every 8-10 hours if needed until chick is perky.
For maintenance: put 2ml per gallon in their water. My solution looks like very weak tea.
For stress situations ut 4ml per gallon in their water. If the chicks do not like the taste of the 4ml per gallon solution, back it down to 2ml per gallon with good effect.
I spoke with the science tech at Bovidr Labs. They told me that, tho the formulas are species-specific, they also meet the scientific standard for a universal formula. I like to use formulas rated for animals closest to the size of the creature I am supplementing. Plus , regardless of the Formula I choose, I always use the Instructions for the species I am supplementing. Last season we raised 42 Light Sussex on the Goat Formula using the Poultry Instructions. No sickness, no deaths. No picking or cannibalism or other "lack of nutrition " or stress behaviors. 42 robust birds resulted. I use either the Poultry Nutri-Drench or Goat Nutri-Drench for my birds...using the Poultry Instructions. For my collies, I use either Pet Nutri-Drops or Beef Nutri-Drench, always using the Pet Formula instructions. Bovidr Labs told me that other than using the Pet Nutri-Drops, the Beef Formula was the only other Formula which I should use for my dogs.
So there you have it. This is how you bypass a weakness compromised G.I. tract and get helps to a needy chick. If it is just needy, you should see a quick improvement. If it is FTT, well probably not.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[katita]

Thank you Karen for your advise i will definitley purchase these items..would i use 1drop of each solution for the chick or should i mix it together..?..also would it be a good idea to move the chick egg as soon as the egg zippers?.so chick wont get squashed.thank you.kathy

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

Actually I have lots of experience with hens. Basically you want to break a broody. Snap her out of her 'trance". Stupid bird does not have the natural sense to get up and take care of her babies. Kick her off the nest. If she does not stay off make the nest uncomfortable. Growing up on a farm if you were not a good mom. You got ate.

So you’re basically telling the OP to physically kick the chicken and her chicks off the nest. That’s absolutely disgusting, how cruel

 

[chickens really]

So you’re basically telling the OP to physically kick the chicken and her chicks off the nest. That’s absolutely disgusting, how cruel

Thread from 2015.......

 

[chickgoals]

Actually I have lots of experience with hens. Basically you want to break a broody. Snap her out of her 'trance". Stupid bird does not have the natural sense to get up and take care of her babies. Kick her off the nest. If she does not stay off make the nest uncomfortable. Growing up on a farm if you were not a good mom. You got ate.

Ice in a nest with chicks is a terrible idea. Also, I would keep the chicks and mamma separated from the others until they’re old enough/ big enough/ strong enough to defend themselves. Mamma will help, but it will be difficult for her to defend herself and all her chicks at the same time. If you give them more time they’ll have a better chance of surviving.

 

[SoutheastAK_chickens]

Weve got the same thing happening however they are in their very own chicken wire brooder box in the coop (I would recommend building one for future.) After the last chick hatched earlier we will give her until tonight after that we are gonna kick her off and clean her nesting box and I doubt she will go back to it. We've hatched chicks with her before and after she left the nest voluntarliy she refused to get back on it again.