How many chicks can one hen take care of?

[Wild1]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 hens with chicks that hatched at the same time in the same shed. Now the chicks go to either of the hens and don't seem to have taken to one specific mother. The problem is both the hens are fighting over the chicks, so one is getting beaten a bit. I have to separate them but at this stage don't have a place for them. I could leave all the chicks with one hen if the hen could take care. There are 16 chicks what would you recommend? Can one hen handle 16 chicks?

Secondly this morning all the chicks were good but this afternoon one chick is dragging itself around and cannot stand, I have inspected the leg and at the joint where the feathers end and the scaly leg begins on the right leg is very red and swollen. What should I do?

Stephen

 

[cnicho05]

Hello,

I would suggest you find a way to keep the hens apart while separating the chicks between the two of them. While a hen might be able to handle sixteen chicks it might become difficult for the hen to handle. If you have access to a garage or shed I would suggest you place the chicks in a brooder to help keep them warm. At this point, you could keep one hen with all sixteen chicks with little difficulty. I would only suggest that the brooder be large enough for the hen and chicks.

Secondly, the chick might have been hurt in a number of ways. Without a picture or more details it is difficult to establish what happened. With the information you provided I would believe that the chick might have been hurt when the hens were fighting one another. If this is the case I would keep a close on on the chick and monitor her leg...

Hope this helps...

 

[Wild1]

Hi and thank you, yes it helps, I have separated the two families and both seem to be ok, nighttime they sit together but day time are separate so should be ok now. I lost one chick due to i think was a fight but not sure yet still checking the body for damage. in my area got many predators so not sure what might have caused the death.

The chick with the injured leg, well this is another story, it seems to be getting stronger but refuses to put the leg down. I am not sure what to do with it, the local people say just put it down but I am reluctant to do this if it may have a chance. i have attached a couple of pics don't know if anyone can suggest anything??

Stephen

 

[cnicho05]

Is that a mark on her right leg or just dirt?

I would give her the opportunity and see if she gets better. I've seen chicks come back from far more difficult problems than just not using a let. I would monitor her closely and check where her leg attached to her body. She may have a tumor or develop muscle problems as a result of not using her leg. If she does you should be able to feel it through her down or feathers....

Good luck...

 

[ChickenLegs13]

It's not like a cow trying to raise 16 calves. Other than keeping the chicks warm at night a hen actually does very little to raise her chicks. When I've combined hatches, about 20-22 chicks is the most an average size hen can brood at night.
One of my mean hens flogged another hen's chick and injured his leg. When he wanted to go aomewhere he'd kinda flop & crawl on the ground. After several days he started walking on 1 leg and 1 wing. Then he figured out how to hop on 1 leg and got around pretty good then, he was just as fast as the other chicks. He eventually started putting his leg down and after about 3 weeks he was walking normal again and I couldn't tell him from the rest of the chicks.
Hopefully your's will have such a recovery.