Help~ I'm new at raising chickens and need some advice.

[myerskr]

We noticed that our serama hen was broody a few weeks ago and today, three chicks hatched. She has acted very protective over them all afternoon but, tonight we saw that she had gone back up in her box and left the chicks down at the bottom of the coop. I put the chicks up to her and she pecked at one but, raised up and let it crawl under her. Eventually, all three got under her but, I am now worried because she left them. The rooster is in the coop with her and he is also sitting with her. Is this normal or should I be concerned about the chicks? We have hatched eggs from an incubator but this is the first time, letting it happen naturally. From what I've read, she was a good broody hen and stayed on her eggs most of the day. She only left them to eat and drink and she was very protective of them . The rooster has also been very protective and has often sat with her. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you very much!

 

[nj2wv]

Welcome to BYC !!

 

[myerskr]

Thank you very much!

 

[drumstick diva]

Not all broodies are good at their job, and maybe she is just too young and inexperienced to know what to do. If she is leaving them alone, they will get cold. Can you put together a brooder with heat lamp and raise them without her help? Banties, especially seramas may need a bit higher temps than full sized breeds. You want the heat lamp to cover about half of the brooder, so the chicks can decide how much heat they need and can move to the cooler area if they get too hot. First week temps should be about 95 degrees at their floor level, each week you can lower it 5 degrees until they are fully feathered out and able to be outside or in the regular coop.

If you see they pile up under the light, they are cold. If they lay far apart and panting, they are too warm. My friend has 3 silkies and 2 serama hens as house pets. She says whenever the seramas want to heat up their feet, they jump in her lap. They frequently go broody on nothing, and kick the dog out of his bed. They leave the nest often to eat, drink and watch tv. So neither is taking broodiness seriously.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[myerskr]

Thank you very much for the advice. Ever since we put the chickens up in the nest with her, she has stayed right with them. My rooster will even go to the door and block it when they are not under her, so they can't get back down the ramp. They are eating and drinking and hopefully, they will do fine. I have a heat lamp that can be used if necessary. I have two of her chicks inside because they hadn't hatched and she had left the nest so, I brought them in and helped them hatch out. They had a slow start but, they are doing real good. I have them in the tub with the heat lamp at the moment. I love this site and I appreciate the comments.