Expecting new chix in the coop! {Updated with Pic!}

[pseudoyams]

Well, today is day 21. Any day now I should have some baby chicks hatching from some fertile eggs I put under a broody hen. Well, that is if they are all okay... I had an egg get broken at about day 10 and mom was off the eggs for a while. Im not sure what, if any, special things I need to do for the new arrivals in the coop. The nesting box is about a foot off the floor. Should I build a little ramp for them so mom and chix can get up an down easy? Should I put down a little feeder and waterer for them? Do I have to worry about the other chickens making a fuss over the new babies? Right now I have 15 chickens about 7 months old and have 7 fertile eggs due to hatch. I had no problem raising the chix from the garage, but Id like them to be safe and happy from a "natural" hatch! Id appreciate any insight anybody can give me on this situation!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

How is the clutch doing?


For my broodies - I fix a small area in the coop for the first couple days/week - where the other chickens cannot get to the babies/hen but can see them. Then I fix a section outside, for momma and babies - again they can see the main flock but not touch each other. (I move mom/babies in to the coop each night, out each morning) When the chicks are about 6 weeks old, if mom seem protective, I will let mom/babies mingle with the other chickens.

Do give both food and water - I put marbles/rocks in the water to be sure the chicks can get out if they toddle in.

 

[pseudoyams]

They are doing good! There are four that hatched so far, but one didnt look too hot when I saw it yesterday. Not sure if it just hatched yesterday or what but it was just kinda laying around underneath momma. I put a little platform in front of her nesting box and put food and water on it for them. I have a little ramp that they can get up and down with once they start moving around more. Mom hasnt left the box at all since the chicks were hatched so Ive been putting in some clover for her to eat. She gobbles that stuff up pretty quickly! All the other chickens dont seem to mind the new additions. Most of them just ignore them.

I have some more pics of the chix on www.yamscrameggco.com

 

[luckyramu]

Wow. They look so happy and healthy. Nice chicken family.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Adorable

 

[calicokat]

Oh goodness, they are soooo cute!

You want to make sure the chicks can get to the water and food - mom will show them what to do (and it is chick starter food, not older hens/egg layer food. It will be ok for mom to eat it too, but the babies can't eat big girl chicken food yet.)

And you might want to section mom & babies off somehow, so the older hens can't get to the babies. The older ones can peck the babies to death, and with 7 older girls, mom could get a little out numbered if they went after the little ones.

What a good little momma you have there - and Congrats on your successful hatch!!

 

[pseudoyams]

Incredible Update!

I went out to the coop yesterday to find mom and three chicks out of the nesting box and walking around. They all looked great! Mom was rolling around in the wood chips and babies were walking around pecking at stuff.

Sadly the last two eggs and the fourth chick were left in the nest. I picked up chick 4 and she was lifeless. I was figuring out what do to with her when I spoke to my wife and she said to wait until she got home. After I hung up with her the chick started to faintly move a little. I blew on it's face and the chick reacted. Now I was thinking about how to cull it as I didn't think she was going to make it. Well it was kinda cooler out yesterday so I thought it might be hypothermic and it started moving when it got heat from my hand. I put her under a heating lamp and within 10 min the chick came back to life pipping and everything! She had some problems though as she had spraddle leg and a showing of wry neck. I gave her some electrolytes and found how to fix the spraddle leg with the bandaids. That was late lastnight. This morning she is doing incredibly well. Eating, drinking and holding herself up with the support from the bandaid. Immense gains in her strength and balance from 10 hours ago! I still can't believe that here I was thinking about burying this chick and she isdoing perfectly right now! I plan on keeping the bandade on her for most of the day today and then see how it goes. If all is well I'll keep her in the house again for tonight and reintroduce het to momma tomorrow. Of course I'll be watching that veryclosely to see how mom accepts the "new" baby.

Oh I candled those two eggs and they were definitely in the advance stages. But I don't think they will be hatching. It is day 25 now and there is no pipping. I have them unde the heat lamp for whatevr reason I don't know but I think they are gone.

Still I'm SO happy about the fourth chick,MJ!

 

[The Sheriff]

Nice save! Continued success.