First Chick hatched from a hen! A few questions!

[Superman1360]

Hi everyone! I had a RIR go broody, but at the time we had no roosters. So I bought some fertile eggs from a local farm and set 9 eggs under my broody hen. Well today was day 21 and some of the eggs are starting to hatch. She gets very disturbed when I try to look under her in the nest box, so I have just been leaving her alone. No candling or what not. On my way out of the coop on my way to work, I almost stepped on a baby chick that was outside. It was about 50 ft from the coop. It was also all dried off, except it had a little reddish bloody looking dried stuff near its face and neck. It looked like a fluffy little chick, that had atleast one day to dry off, not like the ones that just hatch in an incubator and all the down is wet and stuck to it's skin. I picked it up and carried it back to the coop and put it back in the nesting box with mom.

Is is possible that the chick made it that far on it's own, or do you think mom or one of my other hens carried it out there. Just seems like a long distance for such a little chick.

Also, do I need to separate the hen and her babies from the other 7 full sized hens in the coop. Do I need to put down chick starter for them as well? I have other young chicks on starter still, but I am constantly fighting the big chickens away from that food.


Named the first one Uno. Will post a picture soon!

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Superman1360]

Here is the picture!

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi! What a cutie! It's gong to be a tough chick for sure. It's entirely possible it hatched early and got hungry so it went off wandering. It's equally possible if other hens have access to the broody nest, that one grabbed it as a snack but dropped it and it is fortunate to be alive. I have hens (if given the chance) will steal chicks as they hatch and eat them.
That the chick was a bit bloody and not fluffed makes me think someone took it from the nest.
Can you just block the broody and the nest from the other hens til the hatch is done? Unless you have confidence in your hens, it's a good idea to seperate hens and chicks from others --- you can let them back together when the chicks are a few days old to see if the others respect *her space with the chicks*. She'll act super-defensive against all the other birds and be prepared to watch a scuffle if anyone gets too close, that's natural.
Good luck!
Lisa

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Adorable chick. I hope my one chick hatches and survives. I have a bantam Ply Rock sitting on a Buff Orp egg and its day 22. Hubby heard the egg chirp earlier this evening.

 

[BeccaB00]

yes seperate the mom and chick. Your other chickens could injure/kill the babies
and also put down starter for the chick. It is ok if mom has some to. normally the chicks will eat whatever mom does.

 

[Superman1360]

Separated the mom and her 2 chicks. One chick hatched, but was dead in the laying box.

She had 9 eggs from another farm that she was sitting on, so 3 were fertile, but the others were not. I will post some more pictures tomorrow.

 

[Superman1360]

Still can't get a good picture of the other one. Keeps hiding under mom. Will post one when I get it.