HELP PLEASE.... BROODY HEN HATCHED 4 EGGS AND I HATCHED 2 IN INCUBATOR.... NOW WHAT????

[streakinamber]

HELLO EVERYONE, I AM NEW TO ALL THIS BROODY HEN STUFF AND HATCHING EGGS IN INCUBATOR, BUT GUESS WHAT... IN THE LAST THREE DAYS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH. MY FAVORITE HEN DECIDED TO GO BROODY, SO I ALLOWED HER TO GO AHEAD AND RAISE A CLUTCH. SHE LAID ON 18 EGGS. FROM THE TIME I FIRST SAW HER SET CONSTANTLY, THE CHICKS WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE DUE TO HATCH UNTIL TOMORROW. HOWEVER, SHE HAD 4 HATCH STARTING THREE DAYS AGO. ALL OR HEALTHY AND HAPPY, ALREADY EATING, DRINKING AND PLAYING. I NOTICED THAT SHE WAS NOT BEING AS ATTENTIVE TO THE REST OF THE EGGS, SO I BUILT A HOME MADE INCUBATOR OUT OF A STYROFOAM ICE CHEST AND LOW AND BEHOLD THIS MORNING, TWO LITTLE CHICKS HATCHED. I HAVE THE INCUBATOR IN THE SAME ROOM AS MY HEN. SHE HEARS THE BABIES CHIRPING IN THE INCUBATOR AND HAS CAME OVER SEVERAL TIMES TO TRY AND POKE THE WALL OUT TO GET TO THE BABIES. I AM TRYING TO LET THE BABIES DRY AND FLUFF SOME BEFORE I TRY AND GIVE THEM TO MY HEN. HAS ANYONE EVERY DONE THIS, AND WHAT SHOULD I DO, DO I LET THEM DRY??? THEN GIVE THEM TO MY HEN??? OR CAN I GIVE THEM TO HER NOW??? THEY ARE ABOUT 5 OR 6 HOURS OLD!!!

 

[tec27]

let them dry off a little. or just wait for the rest of them to hatch. then slowly introduce them to her.

 

[streakinamber]

Should I do it at night...... When they are asleep???

 

[chickydee64]

Should I do it at night...... When they are asleep???

Most people do it at night.................
But sounds like she just wants her chicks.............

Bet she will be a great mom.
What I have read is this...................they imprint the first 4 days....so your OK waiting a bit if you need to.

Good Luck and have fun.........................

 

[16 paws]

HELLO EVERYONE, I AM NEW TO ALL THIS BROODY HEN STUFF AND HATCHING EGGS IN INCUBATOR, BUT GUESS WHAT... IN THE LAST THREE DAYS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH. MY FAVORITE HEN DECIDED TO GO BROODY, SO I ALLOWED HER TO GO AHEAD AND RAISE A CLUTCH. SHE LAID ON 18 EGGS. FROM THE TIME I FIRST SAW HER SET CONSTANTLY, THE CHICKS WERE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE DUE TO HATCH UNTIL TOMORROW. HOWEVER, SHE HAD 4 HATCH STARTING THREE DAYS AGO. ALL OR HEALTHY AND HAPPY, ALREADY EATING, DRINKING AND PLAYING. I NOTICED THAT SHE WAS NOT BEING AS ATTENTIVE TO THE REST OF THE EGGS, SO I BUILT A HOME MADE INCUBATOR OUT OF A STYROFOAM ICE CHEST AND LOW AND BEHOLD THIS MORNING, TWO LITTLE CHICKS HATCHED. I HAVE THE INCUBATOR IN THE SAME ROOM AS MY HEN. SHE HEARS THE BABIES CHIRPING IN THE INCUBATOR AND HAS CAME OVER SEVERAL TIMES TO TRY AND POKE THE WALL OUT TO GET TO THE BABIES. I AM TRYING TO LET THE BABIES DRY AND FLUFF SOME BEFORE I TRY AND GIVE THEM TO MY HEN. HAS ANYONE EVERY DONE THIS, AND WHAT SHOULD I DO, DO I LET THEM DRY??? THEN GIVE THEM TO MY HEN??? OR CAN I GIVE THEM TO HER NOW??? THEY ARE ABOUT 5 OR 6 HOURS OLD!!!

I was wondering how you made the incubator out of the foam chest?
Marie

 

[MrsBachbach]

The best time to intoduce a hen to chicks she has not had hatched under her is AT NIGHT and it should be done before she gets off the nest. You can definitely try to put them under her at night when she can't see, but be sure you are out there first thing in the morning to see how she reacts to them. It may go off without a hitch or she may attack them. So be watchful.

 

[streakinamber]

I was wondering how you made the incubator out of the foam chest?
Marie

I looked on YouTube, there are some wonderful tutorials...... I've had to learn all this on the fly..... But it has worked out so far. I have raised a chick that was left by her mother, and she is now 4 months old. So if I have to raise these, at least I know what to do. This was my first incubating experience, but I can tell you, it was amazing. just hope that mom will take these two and raise them.....I love seeing babies with their mother......

 

[16 paws]

I looked on YouTube, there are some wonderful tutorials...... I've had to learn all this on the fly..... But it has worked out so far. I have raised a chick that was left by her mother, and she is now 4 months old. So if I have to raise these, at least I know what to do. This was my first incubating experience, but I can tell you, it was amazing. just hope that mom will take these two and raise them.....I love seeing babies with their mother......

I agree, I love seeing them raised by a broody. We had a hen that went broody and we have no rooster. So I bought her some fertilized eggs and none hatched!

So I bought some baby chicks, and after it was dark I took out the eggs and put six baby chicks in the nest with her. She loved them!

Here she is with them....

And here they are today at about 6 weeks old.

 

[streakinamber]

Wow.....that is amazing....what a beautiful set up you have there....and your hen looks very happy..... I hatched 4 eggs in my incubator. My hen wouldn't take them......so I'm raising them.... It's fun and everyone is doing well, at least she has four babies of her own for me to watch.....