Hello all,
I have 4 2-day old chicks I put under my 1 yr old BO hen last night in the dark. She has been broody at least 4 times and this time was broody almost 5 weeks. She didn't reject them - after several minutes she adjusted for them to get under her and then they stopped chirping and she stopped her soft clucking. When all was quiet for about 10 minutes, I left.
I went out there at 6:30am to find 3 chicks filing out of the nest and chirping as they wandered between the nest box and wall. It's chilly out there in the coop in the morning (upper 50's). I put each one back under her, and while she was clucking a little as they left the nest she wasn't alarmed and did not get up or do anything to corral them back in.
I just went out there again, and all is quiet.
Should I be alarmed that she didn't do more to keep them with her? How will I now I can trust her? If they had been left out behind the nest box they would have gotten too cold.
She is in the coop, on the floor, separated from the other 7 hens with a chicken wire petition. I put out a waterer for her, a waterer for the chicks and chick starter.
I have 4 2-day old chicks I put under my 1 yr old BO hen last night in the dark. She has been broody at least 4 times and this time was broody almost 5 weeks. She didn't reject them - after several minutes she adjusted for them to get under her and then they stopped chirping and she stopped her soft clucking. When all was quiet for about 10 minutes, I left.
I went out there at 6:30am to find 3 chicks filing out of the nest and chirping as they wandered between the nest box and wall. It's chilly out there in the coop in the morning (upper 50's). I put each one back under her, and while she was clucking a little as they left the nest she wasn't alarmed and did not get up or do anything to corral them back in.
I just went out there again, and all is quiet.
Should I be alarmed that she didn't do more to keep them with her? How will I now I can trust her? If they had been left out behind the nest box they would have gotten too cold.
She is in the coop, on the floor, separated from the other 7 hens with a chicken wire petition. I put out a waterer for her, a waterer for the chicks and chick starter.
