First time hatching chicks

[wrathsfarm]

I want to let her, I’m a little worried that the chicks may get attacked though…. What do you think?

I think they may actually be hens? Over 5 weeks now. No copper flecks coming through and the combs haven’t grown.

This one looks to be a female.

 

[wrathsfarm]

The blue marans are definitely roosters!

You are correct.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Hello all! You all have been helpful so updating/seeking advice!

Currently incubating some eggs for a friend, I have two broody hens, one I don’t trust, the other is very sweet, kind to the other hens, and has been brooding for going on two months. So, (with permission), I slipped a few of the eggs under her too.

You've got a hen that's been broody for 60 days and you put eggs under her for another 21 days? If I'm not confused that's a really long time to be sitting and I would worry about her health. Being broody is exhausting and takes a toll on the hen as they're not eating enough thru out the day. All of the energy that stored up is being depleted sitting in the nest box.

I’ve since read horror stories of mama hens killing babies…. Should I be worried?

It happens but more of often than not, she'll be fine raising her babies. Let her do it.

Also, those of you with marans, have I any hope that these are pullets? I will say the combs are looking more pink on camera than they do in person, the pink is the same colour as their feet. No wattles really yet and no copper specks. The two blue marans that hatched have pink wattles and much bigger combs, and they have copper streaks on their necks. So, in comparison to those two I have hope. But the combs on these two pictures are still bigger than the two marans I have in my current flock had at even 8/9 weeks old…. These chicks are all 5 weeks old now. I will say though that my current marans hens have quite small combs even as adults, smaller than many other marans I’ve seen.

I gave my guess on most of these, I think.

Post a few updated pics of each in another week or 2. It helps if you can number each pic with age. A side body shot, a close up of the head, and a pic over top helps with gendering.

Best of luck with your hatches.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

You've got a hen that's been broody for 60 days and you put eggs under her for another 21 days? If I'm not confused that's a really long time to be sitting and I would worry about her health. Being broody is exhausting and takes a toll on the hen as they're not eating enough thru out the day. All of the energy that stored up is being depleted sitting in the nest box.

It happens but more of often than not, she'll be fine raising her babies. Let her do it.

Thanks for your thorough reply.

I’ve gone back and looked, I think it’s closer to just a little over a month she’s been broody. I hope that’s not too long. I feel like based on your reply I’ve done something awful to put her at risk…

I am not really sure how to get them to stop? The other one who’s been broody maybe 3-4 weeks now doesn’t have any eggs under her and I wasn’t finding her to be as trustworthy but she is ‘subbing in’ so the original broody can hop down and get water etc. I’m now worried a third one is going broody. I only have 9 full grown hens in my original flock, this is a full third of them! It’s my silverudds and silverudd crosses that are going broody. So what do I do to stop them? They’ve shown no sign of stopping.

It’s also making my original flock seem so small, when the next group of chicks come in there will be more of them than the hens… not sure if that’s an issue.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

I gave my guess on most of these, I think.

Post a few updated pics of each in another week or 2. It helps if you can number each pic with age. A side body shot, a close up of the head, and a pic over top helps with gendering.

Best of luck with your hatches.

Thank you, I will post updated pics by the end of the week. One of them might go to my son’s friend so I’m hoping it’s a pullet for them.

It’s funny, the blue marans were so obvious, these big pink combs so early and tonnes of copper flecks early on.

My marans in my original flock had basically no comb for a long time. So these two are kind throwing me off a bit as their combs are a bit bigger, but nothing like the blue marans, and no visible wattles or copper flecks.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

here’s a couple of my marans from last year in contrast. First pic is my girl Rocky, probably just a month before she started laying. Still basically no comb!

The second pic was our rooster boy, he went to live at a friends house. But even his comb wasn’t huge! It was definitely clear at this point that he was a he. But just in contrast to the ones I have now, the blue marans boys I have have bigger combs already and lots of vivid copper streaks on their necks. I got these at a different farm, their stock must have smaller combs I guess. And less copper streaking, one of my marans has no copper on her neck, the hen in the first pic just has a few flecks in her neck feathers.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Thanks for your thorough reply.

I’ve gone back and looked, I think it’s closer to just a little over a month she’s been broody. I hope that’s not too long. I feel like based on your reply I’ve done something awful to put her at risk…

Here's an excellent article on breaking a broody...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

If she's closer to 30 days that's much different. Some hens will normally give up and 'break' themselves after going so long but there is a chance a hen will be so committed she'll die trying to hatch. I'm not trying to scare you but it's a reality that happens.
Giving her some added protein (canned tuna in water) is a boost and electrolytes in her water along with fresh water helps during these long periods especially in the summer heat.

I am not really sure how to get them to stop? The other one who’s been broody maybe 3-4 weeks now doesn’t have any eggs under her and I wasn’t finding her to be as trustworthy but she is ‘subbing in’ so the original broody can hop down and get water etc. I’m now worried a third one is going broody. I only have 9 full grown hens in my original flock, this is a full third of them! It’s my silverudds and silverudd crosses that are going broody. So what do I do to stop them? They’ve shown no sign of stopping.

It’s also making my original flock seem so small, when the next group of chicks come in there will be more of them than the hens… not sure if that’s an issue.

As long as the chicks have enough space and places to hide and get away or if they have a momma to protect them they'll be instantly integrated into the flock. All will be fine.

 

[wrathsfarm]

here’s a couple of my marans from last year in contrast. First pic is my girl Rocky, probably just a month before she started laying. Still basically no comb!

The second pic was our rooster boy, he went to live at a friends house. But even his comb wasn’t huge! It was definitely clear at this point that he was a he. But just in contrast to the ones I have now, the blue marans boys I have have bigger combs already and lots of vivid copper streaks on their necks. I got these at a different farm, their stock must have smaller combs I guess. And less copper streaking, one of my marans has no copper on her neck, the hen in the first pic just has a few flecks in her neck feathers.

They're both beautiful.

Yes...some lines will be harder to gender early on if the breeder is specifically working on smaller combs.
My flock of Black Coppers have a Sire with a bigger comb so I can usually spot his son's usually pretty early by 2 weeks. My BBS Silver Marans come from a breeder that works on smaller combs for her extreme cold climate so they are harder to gender early on. My recessive white cockerel was roughly 6 weeks before I could figure him out, with him being white, there was no silver to help coming in on the wings and hackles.