Disappearing pullet shows up with chicks

[JesusHChicken]

So I came home to baby chicks in the goat pen.

I've had a disappearing Dominique the past few weeks. First AWOL evening roll call I figured a woodland creature got her. Three days later she reappears only to vanish for another 4 days. This went on until yesterday.

About 12 chicks have hatched. We have 6 eggs incubating. Heard peeps from two eggs and one out of those two are pipping. Not sure if the others are still viable. I put the eggs under a warming light in lieu of an incubator for about 1.5 hours. Had to purchase one at the local TS. We were not prepared nor planning on raising chicks this time of year.

Considering the time of year and living in Western Washington your suggestions on when to introduce to flock. Currently momma is housed inside in a spare room with warming lamp and L dog crate. She's teaching them to eat and drink. Should I reintegrate mom back into flock and keep chicks inside under the warming light until they're older? Or move them inside coop with warming light?

Coop is 6x12' with external nesting boxes and roosting rails over poop decks. Flock is 14 pullets (including momma) and 5 cockerels. I'll be culling 3 out of the 5 cockerels, soon.

Any suggestions on getting a higher consistent humidity percentage in the incubator? I can't seem to keep it above 50% even with it inside a closed cabinet and water jackets filled. Temp keeps at around 101°F.

Should I help the chick out of it's shell?It's been at it all day.

 

[song of joy]

1st - remove the warming light, as it may cause the hen to overheat and will discourage the chicks from learning to seek warmth and protection under the hen. The chicks will be perfectly fine snuggling under the mamma hen when they get cold. My broody hens have had no trouble keeping chicks warm when outdoor temps are in the 30s.

Leave the chicks with the hen, as she will do all of the hard work for you. She will teach them to eat, drink, forage, scratch, come when she calls, and seek her for safety. She will also integrate them into the flock.

I section off a small area of my coop for broody hens. She is in sight of the rest of the flock (but can't be reached by the rest of the flock) during incubation, hatching, and for the first 5 to 9 days after the hatch. After that, I open the partition and let the hen and chicks mingle freely with the flock. She will be very protective of the chicks, especially during the first 2 weeks. You will want her to integrate the chicks during this period when she is very protective of them. By 5 days of age, they are strong enough to keep up with her, have learned to stay near her, and have learned some of her vocalizations (for food and alarms). It's also important to have multiple feeders and waterers to reduce competition and conflict.

If you can section off an area for the hen and chicks, you could put them in the coop immediately . . . without the warming light. If you can't section off an area, it may be helpful to wait a couple of days (until the chicks are at least 3 days old). She will establish a spot on the floor to roost with the chicks at night. I usually lay out hay (approx a 24 x 24" area) in the corner of the coop and the hen typically will use this as a place to bed down with the chicks at night. She will gravitate to an area where she has some privacy from the rest of the flock. If you have the room, it may be ideal to just move the whole dog crate into the coop.

I'd recommend culling excess cockerels before you integrate, as the chicks may be trampled during the "rooster drama" that ensues during breeding.

If any additional chicks hatch, these can be put under the hen as she will very likely accept them. Any that hatch during the day can be put under her that evening, which will give them a period of rest to recover from the hatch.

I've done a couple of assisted hatches, and both turned out fine. Both were cases where the chicks had already pipped, but only partially zipped. Check out the hatching 101 article in the learning center.

I'd put some wet sponges in the incubator to raise the humidity levels, so the chicks don't become shrink-wrapped. If a chick has started zipping but hasn't finished within 8 to 12 hours, it may have become shrink-wrapped. If you're inclined to do so, this would be the time to do an assist. I use a wet cotton ball to dampen the membrane, then very carefully break off and remove pieces of shell in a zipping pattern. Don't use too much water on the cotton ball or it will run into the chicks mouth or nostrils and it could aspirate it. Assuming you are seeing no blood, the whole shell can be removed. The chick may be very weak, but with a few hours under a heat lamp it will probably regain its strength.

Temp in the incubator seems high. Is it a still-air (no fan)?

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't understand why you have this broody hen in your house. And she certainly does not need a heat lamp. She will keep the chicks warm. You don't need to bake them! I would put her and the chicks out in the coop, in a secure area for a few days, then let them mingle with the rest of the flock. Is there a reason why you took the rest of the eggs away from her? Had she abandoned the rest of the eggs? You might want to read some of the articles in the learning center about managing a broody hen.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Congrats on your new additions. With a mama they should be fine in most weather until they feather out in 4-5 weeks. I had a mama hatch out some babies on Saturday. I have them in a 5'x 5' pvc run with a tarp lid and we shut them in a tote with a door/ramp at night. We have this setup inside our poultry paddock with the rest of the flock. This way they are safe from the other hens and roosters (you can see in one of my photos that my previous mama was fighting with another he. Through the fence because the other hen was trying to dominate, a.k.a. peck, her babies through the fence) but are being integrated into the flock hierarchy. I had my hen brood the eggs in this setup as well. If your incubated eggs hatch soon enough you may be able to give them to mama. Here are some photos of my setup.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I too am confused.

If she had not abandoned the eggs perhaps they should be given back. Not sure about that as I have not given a broody fertile eggs to hatch. I did give her chicks which she took great care of and integrated them into the flock herself.

Mostly I am all about this.

 

[JesusHChicken]

She

I don't understand why you have this broody hen in your house. And she certainly does not need a heat lamp. She will keep the chicks warm. You don't need to bake them! I would put her and the chicks out in the coop, in a secure area for a few days, then let them mingle with the rest of the flock. Is there a reason why you took the rest of the eggs away from her? Had she abandoned the rest of the eggs? You might want to read some of the articles in the learning center about managing a broody hen.

She stopped sitting on the eggs and her chicks were out in the open. Some we're getting cold so we put them under the lamp. When my others start going broody and I've been able to find the neat/eggs and lock them in the coop with eggs in nesting box. So far everyone else has gotten the picture.

I just turned the lamp off. I'll probably just put her and the chicks in the dog crate inside the coop.

 

[JesusHChicken]

Congrats on your new additions. With a mama they should be fine in most weather until they feather out in 4-5 weeks. I had a mama hatch out some babies on Saturday. I have them in a 5'x 5' pvc run with a tarp lid and we shut them in a tote with a door/ramp at night. We have this setup inside our poultry paddock with the rest of the flock. This way they are safe from the other hens and roosters (you can see in one of my photos that my previous mama was fighting with another he. Through the fence because the other hen was trying to dominate, a.k.a. peck, her babies through the fence) but are being integrated into the flock hierarchy. I had my hen brood the eggs in this setup as well. If your incubated eggs hatch soon enough you may be able to give them to mama. Here are some photos of my setup.

Thanks for the pics and info. This caught me off guard and as far as dealing with momma and babies I'm clueless.

 

[JesusHChicken]

1st - remove the warming light, as it may cause the hen to overheat and will discourage the chicks from learning to seek warmth and protection under the hen. The chicks will be perfectly fine snuggling under the mamma hen when they get cold. My broody hens have had no trouble keeping chicks warm when outdoor temps are in the 30s.

Leave the chicks with the hen, as she will do all of the hard work for you. She will teach them to eat, drink, forage, scratch, come when she calls, and seek her for safety. She will also integrate them into the flock.

I section off a small area of my coop for broody hens. She is in sight of the rest of the flock (but can't be reached by the rest of the flock) during incubation, hatching, and for the first 5 to 9 days after the hatch. After that, I open the partition and let the hen and chicks mingle freely with the flock. She will be very protective of the chicks, especially during the first 2 weeks. You will want her to integrate the chicks during this period when she is very protective of them. By 5 days of age, they are strong enough to keep up with her, have learned to stay near her, and have learned some of her vocalizations (for food and alarms). It's also important to have multiple feeders and waterers to reduce competition and conflict.

If you can section off an area for the hen and chicks, you could put them in the coop immediately . . . without the warming light. If you can't section off an area, it may be helpful to wait a couple of days (until the chicks are at least 3 days old). She will establish a spot on the floor to roost with the chicks at night. I usually lay out hay (approx a 24 x 24" area) in the corner of the coop and the hen typically will use this as a place to bed down with the chicks at night. She will gravitate to an area where she has some privacy from the rest of the flock. If you have the room, it may be ideal to just move the whole dog crate into the coop.

I'd recommend culling excess cockerels before you integrate, as the chicks may be trampled during the "rooster drama" that ensues during breeding.

If any additional chicks hatch, these can be put under the hen as she will very likely accept them. Any that hatch during the day can be put under her that evening, which will give them a period of rest to recover from the hatch.

I've done a couple of assisted hatches, and both turned out fine. Both were cases where the chicks had already pipped, but only partially zipped. Check out the hatching 101 article in the learning center.

I'd put some wet sponges in the incubator to raise the humidity levels, so the chicks don't become shrink-wrapped. If a chick has started zipping but hasn't finished within 8 to 12 hours, it may have become shrink-wrapped. If you're inclined to do so, this would be the time to do an assist. I use a wet cotton ball to dampen the membrane, then very carefully break off and remove pieces of shell in a zipping pattern. Don't use too much water on the cotton ball or it will run into the chicks mouth or nostrils and it could aspirate it. Assuming you are seeing no blood, the whole shell can be removed. The chick may be very weak, but with a few hours under a heat lamp it will probably regain its strength.

Temp in the incubator seems high. Is it a still-air (no fan)?

Has a fan. I just turned the temp down.

Thank you for all the info. Exactly what I needed. Just moved her and the chicks out to coop. She's doing fine. Left a food and water inside since she's locked in.
I have a 15x17' trampoline that serves as their run. I'll section off an area for her tomorrow and move her out there.

 

[sawilliams]

For your mama and chicks if you have a large dog kennel put a cardboard box some bedding and a food and water dish and put mama and chicks in there in the run for a few days. Give her time to adjust to the setup then let her start freeranging in the run with the other chickens and her chicks supervised and go from there until the chicks at intgrated enough to move then and mama back to the coop.

 

[song of joy]

Just checking in . . . . did any of the other eggs hatch?