Hen with chicks

[Cackel]

I have a hen outside that has hatched some babies ,I don't how many she has got yet .I raised her up a little today and saw two little legs sticking out ,so I know she has one ,Is there a way that I can find out how many she has? And her nest is about 18 inches off the ground so how will she get them out of the nest ?

 

[CarlaRiggs]

If she were mine, I'd move the entire nest, Mother and babies, down to ground level. The babies will be moving about immediately and they'll fall out.

Keep an eye on the other chickens; sometimes one of them will get it into their little heads to pick at the babies. Good Mothers will protect them, but it's best to keep ahead of problems if you can.
They chicks will be out and about soon; I'd simply wait until then to count heads.

Carla

 

[Cackel]

How will I know she has finished the hatching ?

 

[CarlaRiggs]

She'll probably take a few days, and then be off the nest with the new chicks. Just take it slow and easy (patience, patience!). You don't want to bother her if she's hatching eggs. Some hens are more easygoing than others. And in less than a week, you'll have chicks running about.

Carla

 

[Cackel]

Help someone please tell me how will she get them down out of the nest ?

 

[CarlaRiggs]

She can't. You'll have to help her.

If the chicks fall out, they won't be able to get back up. She may just find another spot to keep them in, once all the eggs are through hatching. Or if enough of the chicks leave the nest, the hen may also leave some of the eggs unhatched while she joins the chicks.
The best thing to do is to place the nest on the ground, and somewhere safe.

Carla

 

[L*A*G*]

What kind is your hen? is your nest box built into the wall? If so u must make a BIG; wide ladder & b sure not to make it steep at all.

Enjoy your chicks!

 

[2468Chickensrgr8]

When I had a broody hen I asked the same questions....place the mom and babies in a dog crate on the floor...its easier if you lay down a couple layers of newspaper to clean up faster and easier....I cut the bottom of the crate out and provided water and feed.......soon they'll be running around and so you'll have to protect them from the older chickens..I used a wire dog crate so I put boards along the bottom so the big girls could see in and could not peck them...but before you know it the little devils will be jumping over the sides.....some people(my dream project) have a brooding area seperated from the rest of the flock...Good Luck and enjoy !!

 

[jhm47]

Baby chicks can leap/fall down from a nest that is quite high without injury. They are so light, and their down protects them. Baby wood ducks often leap from their nests from up to 30-40 feet high in trees without injury. Baby chicks are similar.

The biggest downside to letting them exit the nest on their own is that they might become chilled, or the other hens in the coop might kill them before their mom exits her nest.

I'd relocate the whole nest to the ground and let the hen and chicks come out on their own.

 

[cthrash1]

A friend of ours had a hen disappear for 3 wks then showed up with about 12-13 babies following along behind her...They found where she nested with them in a shed on the neighbors abandonned property. the nest was over five feet off the ground on a shelf. They don't know how she did it but she got the babies off that shelf safely and walked them all the way back to our friends home. Maybe flew them down somehow on her back or something. Where there's a will there's a way I guess.