HOW DID I GET AN EXTRA CHICK????

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raewoo369

raewoo369

Hatching
Sep 13, 2015
6
4
7
Old Hickory,TN
So one of my mixed bantam hens had a small clutch with our Sebright roos and 3 days ago and we got 4 precious chicks. This was our 5th set this season so nothing new to us. We have had hens sit up to 5 days and the chicks keep rolling but they are sitting not up moving around for more than 20-30 mins. I am posting this particular thread however because this hen took her first 4 and stayed away from the nest and out in the yard alllllllll day the last 2 days only going back to the nest to sleep at night with everyone else. During the day she sits wherever she may be at the moment and the babies go under as they would normally. This morning while I was going about my daily chicken chores here comes Momma Bet with not four but five chicks. One was undoubtedly a bit smaller than the others. She had laid this particular clutch under and to the back corner of our rather large coop. There is no way for me to get under it and to collect the eggs layed there and if a hen is not brooding I gently use a rake to retrieve them which is why any eggs remained at all after she brought the first four out. I could believe it was a late hatch just fine BUT THE HEN HAD NOT BEEN SITTING!! Not for 2 days. I thought maybe I was crazy and there had always been 4 but I checked my pictures and texts of joy to my husband and sister and I was not losing it there had only been 4 the last few days. It has been a very mild 65-68 degrees and cooler at night recently and their pen and the coop they go in at night is not in the sun. In fact we have an over hang that is our roof that covers the area. I have tried and tried to come up with ideas on how this could be so but draw a blank. If anyone has been through this or can explain it I am all ears. I think of all the eggs I thought the hens had given up on once they left the nest for more than 8hrs and wonder how many were viable. Also my flock free ranges my yard during the day and with some recent predator activity in our area I do a head count at least 6 times a day and none of my 20 hens have been unaccounted for at any time the last few days and therefore even the possibility of another hen sitting is out. Thanks again in advance for the ideas!
 
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raewoo369 said:
So one of my mixed bantam hens had a small clutch with our Sebright roos and 3 days ago and we got 4 precious chicks. This was our 5th set this season so nothing new to us. We have had hens sit up to 5 days and the chicks keep rolling but they are sitting not up moving around for more than 20-30 mins. I am posting this particular thread however because this hen took her first 4 and stayed away from the nest and out in the yard alllllllll day the last 2 days only going back to the nest to sleep at night with everyone else. During the day she sits wherever she may be at the moment and the babies go under as they would normally. This morning while I was going about my daily chicken chores here comes Momma Bet with not four but five chicks. One was undoubtedly a bit smaller than the others. She had laid this particular clutch under and to the back corner of our rather large coop. There is no way for me to get under it and to collect the eggs layed there and if a hen is not brooding I gently use a rake to retrieve them which is why any eggs remained at all after she brought the first four out. I could believe it was a late hatch just fine BUT THE HEN HAD NOT BEEN SITTING!! Not for 2 days. I thought maybe I was crazy and there had always been 4 but I checked my pictures and texts of joy to my husband and sister and I was not losing it there had only been 4 the last few days. It has been a very mild 65-68 degrees and cooler at night recently and their pen and the coop they go in at night is not in the sun. In fact we have an over hang that is our roof that covers the area. I have tried and tried to come up with ideas on how this could be so but draw a blank. If anyone has been through this or can explain it I am all ears. I think of all the eggs I thought the hens had given up on once they left the nest for more than 8hrs and wonder how many were viable. Also my flock free ranges my yard during the day and with some recent predator activity in our area I do a head count at least 6 times a day and none of my 20 hens have been unaccounted for at any time the last few days and therefore even the possibility of another hen sitting is out. Thanks again in advance for the ideas!
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The chick probably hatched not long at all after the hen left with her first babies, when it hatched, it stayed in the nest waiting for it's mother. When it saw it's mother it would of followed her and joined her and the rest of the brood. Newly hatched chicks can survive 1-3 days without food or water.
 
I thought of that but it would have been hatched two days ago. I could see under and again it is noticeably smaller and troubled on its feet. I had several hens last year and this year that hatched on the 3rd day with others in the nest. They were not out of the nests for long though. One of my silkies stated for 6 days a week or so ago with 3 chicks already hatched. She sadly was sitting on dud eggs and I had to force her out several times The chick in question would have had to sit there in the back under the coop alone from 6am until 7pm. The hen in question is one of my first out. Then her sister hen and her brood.
 
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Oh we do! It is precious but I thought I had gone nuts a little. In all the clutches our girls have hatched nothing close to this has happened. I should point out too it has its egg tooth in full still. The ones who are 3 days old do not. They were already running around digging 2 days ago. They are beautiful and all take after the roo. The hen is a silkie mix so the chicks have blue sebright feet and 5 toes. They all look like standard and slightly lighter golden sebright chicks. My Cemani roo has been the predominant poppa this year but I guess the little guy found his hen.
 
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