Broody's eggs unexpectedly hatched....What do I do next?

[3riverschick]

perfect!
Keep mama han and the chicks on the same level. I would keep them in the coop, seperataed from the other birds. I had a Light Sussex hen hatch 4 in zero weather. She did a great job of brooding them in freezing themps in the unheated coop
One mistake I made was leaving the rooster in the coop. She got protective of the chicks i the presence of the male as they all shared the same floor space. Made a deep nest for the chicks and acciently crushed one while brooding them. I removed the rooster and no more problems.
Make sure the chicks have no obstacles getting to Mom. raising them on one level is ideal. I had a hen hatch out a chick and she jumped out of the coop and chick followed. Didnt occure to me the small elevation was too much for the chick. It seemed quite spry. Next day when I went out to check on both...no chick. That's when I realized the chick hadn't been able to make the 8 inch jump after Mom and had by this time died of exposure, sigh.
Good idea about the medicated chick feed. Won't hurt mama hen to eat it. Naturewise makes a quaity medicated chick crumble. Make sure the chicks are drinking. I would add Bovidr Labs Poultry Nutri-Drench to their water. http://www.nutridrench.com Great for chicks and mom. Water should look like very weak tea. It will support their immune system and get them off to a strong start. About 6.00 for the smallest bottle ( that's plenty!) at Tractor Supply. Great stuff, I have never had a sick or dead chick when raised on Drench water. Prevents pasty butt. Have used it for over a decade on collies and poultry. It doesn't need digested. If you see one of the chicks getting weak, give it one drop only by mouth. Some wet a Q-Tip with the Drench and wipe it along the side of the open beak if they don't want to have to keep the chick's mouth open to administer the drop. I would use a different Q-Tip for each chick. Repeat as needed every 8-10 hours until perky. In fact, give each of the newly hatched one drop only to get them stated off with good energy. It's all natural. Give mama hen 4 drops for energy.
Best,
Karen

 

[earlybird10842]

Thanks for all your help!
I'm going to play this by ear. If it doesn't look like anyone wants to get down from the nestbox to the food, I may move them down. If the other birds are acting aggressive, I may create an enclosure within the coop. For now, the other birds are out in a covered run and mom and chicks have the place to themselves.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sometimes my broody hens bring the chicks off the nest within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it takes 3 days. A lot of that depends on how fast the chicks hatch. I get the same thing in an incubator, some hatches are quick, some are really spread out.

After a chick internal pips it starts talking to Mama. The broody can tell if more chicks are on the way or not. That’s why I leave it up to my hens to bring them off the nest, they know what they are doing better than I do.

Before the chicks hatch they absorb the yolk. In colder weather they will use it up faster than in warmer weather because they need more energy to keep themselves warm, but being under Mama and staying warm they can still go for probably three days without eating or drinking, even in cold weather. In warm weather I had one hatch on a Monday and the hen did not bring them all off until Friday, four full days later.

 

[earlybird10842]

Sometimes my broody hens bring the chicks off the nest within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it takes 3 days. A lot of that depends on how fast the chicks hatch. I get the same thing in an incubator, some hatches are quick, some are really spread out.

After a chick internal pips it starts talking to Mama. The broody can tell if more chicks are on the way or not. That’s why I leave it up to my hens to bring them off the nest, they know what they are doing better than I do.

Before the chicks hatch they absorb the yolk. In colder weather they will use it up faster than in warmer weather because they need more energy to keep themselves warm, but being under Mama and staying warm they can still go for probably three days without eating or drinking, even in cold weather. In warm weather I had one hatch on a Monday and the hen did not bring them all off until Friday, four full days later.

Thanks for the reassurance, that's my biggest concern right now. Good to know they're probably fine at this point.

 

[earlybird10842]

Okay, one of the chickies was running around on the small platform outside the nestbox, pecking at bits of chick feed I had sprinkled out there. It is currently next to--not under--its mom in the nestbox. Does it need water? I had a small dish of water out on the little platform. Would it be able to find this on it's own? Mom hasn't stirred from the nest.

 

[centrarchid]

Chick will explore some. When hen comes off nest with brood, somehow she reads calls they make indicating they want something. I raise many hen reared broods each year and come to think chicks indicate to their mother that they want something in a manner she understands.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Centrarchid, broody hens and their chicks talk to each other. You can get a bad one of course, but the vast majority of broody hens have outstanding instincts when it comes to taking care of their chicks. And their chicks can make their needs known.

Just because they don’t have to eat or drink for three days or so doesn’t mean it hurts them to eat or drink. I think that one eating a bit is a great sign, it’s already building up its reserves. When it needs the water the broody hen will show it where to drink.

I don’t know how cold it is right now, but you are seeing that chick move around out from under the broody and it is OK. When it gets cold it will go back under her to get warm.

 

[earlybird10842]

Two of the chicks were found on the floor below the nestboxes dead this morning. I have absolutely no idea what happened. There was a small platform with food and water by the nestbox, there was no need for either of the chicks to jump down. I'm not sure if they fell out, or died and were kicked out, or when any of this happened.
I moved the last chick and the mom into an indoor brooder. I think the cold in the coop (above freezing, but not great), may have something to do with this.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen was not on flat ground as I suggested. Make so hen can not go anywhere chicks cannot follow easily.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm really sorry to hear that, I feel pretty bad. I don’t know what happened. I hatch chick in elevated nests all the time and the only time I ever had a chick fall out was in a very small nest, a cat litter bucket that measured 7-1/2” x 11-1/2”. Chicks that hatch early often climb up on Mama’s back. When they fell off they missed the nest in that small nest and fell to the floor. It was summer and I tossed four chicks back in the nest with Mama before she finished that hatch and brought them all off the nest. That does not happen in my larger nests. They don’t miss the nest and fall out.

I don’t know what happened. I’ve found dead chicks before, but they were in the nest with Mama, not tossed out on the floor. I had a broody kill two of the eight chicks she hatched but raise the rest fine. I have no idea why she killed those two, but she pecked them to death. I don’t know if it was cold related or not for you.

If I were you with that experience I’d move them inside too.