Help! Mother hen ignoring chicks in favor of eggs

[MaineChick]

She hatched 3 yesterday but still has eggs - she stole some more from the other hens a week or so after she began brooding - god knows why I let her keep them, but I did. She is now ignoring her chicks in favor of the eggs and they are getting weak. I tried taking the eggs but she put up such a fuss and was stomping all over the nest I was afraid she'd kill the little ones so I gave them back.

Do I: take the eggs and hope she'll take care of the chicks?

Take the chicks and brood them myself, and let her hatch out the other eggs?

Take the eggs and take the chicks?

Bring them all in the house where I can keep a close eye on them and help as needed?

One chick is spraddle legged, so I'm going to have to tape him up I guess - if the choice is to leave the chicks with Mom, will he be ok out in the coop with his legs taped?
(the coop floor is linoleum, but with shavings down I didn't think there would be a problem. wrong.) I can put paper towels on the nest box end...

Help, please.

 

[Red&Yellow]

Take the chicks--it will be easiest on both mom and chicks. Depending on how much younger those other eggs/chicks are, when they hatch you could just stick the ones hatched now back under her.

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Did you take away the eggs at night? Any exchange of chicks for eggs should be done in the dark. If you really think she will harm the chicks, take them away! I'm sorry you are having to go through this stress.

 

[MaineChick]

Thanks.

She is just ignoring them. The danger of harm came from when I tried to swipe her eggs. No, I didn't wait til night. I didn't have the coop set up properly for babies, and when they fell out of the nest box she's in she just sat and looked at them like they were annoying. (Well, they were. I walked outside the coop and could hear them screaming bloody murder!) She won't get off the nest at all. I pulled them out and dipped their beaks in their little waterer and tapped their food and got them eating, and that quieted them for a while, but when I went out later they were all out and couldn't figure out how to get back in, even though I had cut a little chick walkway out of the front of the box.

She'd let them stuff themselves under her for warmth, but isn't doing anything else - she's more worried about the eggs.

I brought them in, fed them and stuck bottles of hot water in their cardboard carton. They are happily trilling now. I'll set up something better and hope that I can stuff 'em back under her when the others hatch and I've had a chance to organize the coop a bit better for momma hen and babies.

Thanks for the help, I was panicking. Those babies sure can scream loud!!

They'd better go back with momma when the next batch hatches as I need the brooder box for more day olds arriving in a couple of weeks!

And I thought this was going to be easy. I've had chickens for almost a year now, and nature does a great job. I'll just let this cute lil broody hen do her thing...if there's more mistakes available to have made than I did, I can't imagine what they are!

on Momma hen - is it just a sign of her stress today that she dumped three huge green turds in the nest box? She had been getting off the nest once a day to eat, drink, and take a short walk, but after all the messing with her, the nest box, and the chicks I did today she dropped something my German Shepherd would have been proud to claim.

 

[loopy12]

My broody normally waits about 2 days after the first chick hatches before she gives up on the remaining eggs and switches her attention to the chicks. I normally put food and water within 6 inches of her as soon as the first one hatches and she shows the chicks how to peck, keeps them warm etc until she's ready to give up on the eggs and start proper how-to-be-a-chicken lessons.
Since they have enough nutrients from the yolk to last a few days that seems to work fine.

Then again, I never had the chicks peeping wildly when they were with the broody.
I'm not sure what I'd do if she had eggs under her with another week to go. You will probably need to intervene with one or the other. If she takes care of the chicks that are out she will abandon the other eggs.

I am not sure she will take the week olds back when the new ones hatch

 

[Backyard Hencam]

I too am worried that she will not accept the older chicks when you reintroduce them.

I am not sure she will take the week olds back when the new ones hatch

Hope someone else has a suggestion. Sounds like you don't want to take away her eggs and replace them with the chicks in the night. Because we never had a rooster, we always let our hens sit on golf balls, crept out with flashlights, then replaced the balls with chicks. Everyone was happy.

P.S. I just read a thread that big, smelly poops were typically of broody hens. However, she should be getting off the next to make them. Take her off her eggs once or twice a day to eat, drink, and poop. The eggs will be fine for 15 minutes while she takes care of business. Good luck!