does it stress the hen if...

[HillCountryMomma]

You take her chicks away after they hatch?

My Buff Orpington hen hatched out 7 chicks in January (crazy hen!). I let her keep them, and they all were lost. Not a one survived.

I currently have a barred rock hen sitting on a bunch of eggs (due to hatch in 12 days), and a jersey black giant that insisted on going broody, so I stuck 8 Rio Grande Wild Turkey eggs under her from a neighbors turkeys (just did it, so 29 days to go)!

I would love to let the hens raise the babies, but I'm just worried that will all my darn cats the chicks just don't stand a chance. My coop is full of broilers right now, and I don't know if my replacement pullets will be big enough to leave the tractor when the first hens chicks hatch.

Does it upset the hens if you take their chicks away? My brooder isn't big enough to put a hen and chicks in, and my hens are all free range and are miserable when penned up.

I guess I just feel bad taking the babies away, but I want them to survive!

Liz

 

[stilwellchick]

I think nature's way is for them to just go forward. I think they are okay with it. Animals are lucky that way. Sounds like a better option than losing the chicks and really much kinder after all the hard work they did to get the chicks hatched.