Dead hatched chicks from a broody silkie

[leighdool]

We are definitely done letting her sit, it's to hard on her and on me

I can't take the stress of worrying about the horrible hatch anymore. We are taking the last two eggs from her and putting them in the incubator. The plan is to try and get her to adopt chicks with the brooder ready to go in case she doesn't. The up side to this is no roosters, our hatches always seem to yield more roosters then hens

I'm happy to have my feelings about the different hatch times confirmed. I was really hoping the mistake was on my end so if she goes broody again we can let her have another go at it. I am also happy to know you have had success with the chick adoption my confidence is shaken right now and I'm second guessing my decisions.

 

[leighdool]

Thanks for the reply. We will either move the broody or mark the eggs next time (probably both!), lesson learned the hard way again. We are going to try again in the future. One of the big reasons we keep a rooster around is to hatch our own chicks and if the chickens could do the brooding I'd be thrilled.

Once you have real farm fresh eggs you can't go back! Until we got the chickens we didn't think to much about where our food came from. After doing some commercial egg and chicken research we were appalled and are much more conscious of how all our food gets to us.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It will get better.

This is the adoptive mom both last year and this year.

Those are last years kids.

These are this years.

The year before that is when I took chicks to her with her refusing them violently.

 

[SIMZ]

I second the advice about not beating yourself up too badly! While broody hatches can be the easiest and most natural, they can also involve huge heartbreaks and mistakes! Many us can probably share huge mess ups we've done while learning - I know I have my share of moments that just made me sick with regrets. Try again with your new knowledge and I bet things will go much better!

Best of luck with those eggs in the incubator!

 

[leighdool]

I'm picking up some chicks at Southern States tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well with the adoption. The two eggs in the incubator are not looking great I don't have high hopes for them but I am not willing to give up on them yet.

 

[leighdool]

I'm picking up some chicks at Southern States tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well with the adoption. The two eggs in the incubator are not looking great I don't have high hopes for them but I am not willing to give up on them yet.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'm picking up some chicks at Southern States tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well with the adoption. The two eggs in the incubator are not looking great I don't have high hopes for them but I am not willing to give up on them yet.

Many of those chicks will be not less than 3 days old if I had to guess. Thinking they are a farm store and not a hatchery. They all get their chicks shipped to. Make sure and get as young as possible. But also be sure to pick ones without pasty butt.

And you will have to decide if you think day or night is the best time to add them. I do it at night and then go in early to listen for the activity. All hens will be different. And I made sure the chicks couldn't get out of the broody's pen so they wouldn't get lost before bonding with mama and ultimately chill to death and vice versa just for 2 days or so. Feed and water in there of course. And then moved it slowly away before removing completely and when they were all making their way outside to the feeder (I don't keep it in the coop to avoid uninvited guests).

 

[leighdool]

We are going to slip in the chicks at night, the mornings are pure chaos here already. Tonight is the big night, I got 6 day old chicks from the feed stores shipment today. I'm trying to decide if we leave the broody in her nest, it's not in the best location under the nest boxes, or if we move her to a more secure location. I have her fenced off but the other chickens can get over the fence. ugh, this looks so easy when other people do it!!!!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I separate my mama from the others. Some adult non broody hens will target chicks.
That and it is a bit easier for mama to tend them without the distraction of having to defend them.

 

[aart]

I separate my mama from the others. Some adult non broody hens will target chicks.
That and it is a bit easier for mama to tend them without the distraction of having to defend them.

Agrees, not that I've had a ton of broodies(just one, in frigid weather with limited main nests),
but if you can set it up with easy maintenance access it sure makes those 3 weeks simpler.
.....and mama and babies can get back on their feet for a few days before you let her re-integrate.