Chicks hatching earlier than I thought, going to be away for three days...!

[bfurman]

I had a broody hen abandon a small clutch of four eggs that I was allowing her to sit on. I put the eggs into my incubator and they survived. They started hatching tonight, three are externally pipped, but I had estimated the hatch date to be another five days or so...

I'm going to be leaving Saturday night and wont be coming back until Monday night... I made weekend plans that I can't exactly get out of. What can I do to ensure that the baby chicks will be OK at home until my return?

The alternative is that I take the chicks with me for the weekend, which would also be OK. I can bring my food, feeders, heat lamp, and small brooder box along if I need to.

Best advice? Thanks! Just worrying now...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Technically after a chick hatches it can go three days without food and water while it lives off the yolk it absorbed. But leaving them without at least setting them up in a brooder will probably be a death sentence. So either set them up or take them with, too bad you can't get the mother to take them. There's no one right answer to your dilemma.

 

[bfurman]

Thanks! As long as it wouldn't be too risky leaving them in a brooder at home, I'd prefer to leave them here. I'll leave out their water dish with some marbles in it to keep them from drowning... and I'll leave out their feeder too. My worry is that they would still starve, but it should be OK right?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They shouldn't starve, scatter some on the floor of the brooder, do you use paper towels, getting the heat right is important, though I'm not responsible for something going wrong.