leaving with the mum

[ella98]

hello
im new to this and my sussex,pekin and sableboot have all just hatched their own eggs out my sitting on them do i need to take them away or can i leave them with the mum and she will look after them untill they can look after themselves??? or would it be best just to take them away??

 

[HEChicken]

Personally I think taking them away from mum is a little cruel - they may "only be birds" but I imagine they bond with their babies just like any other mama. They will probably do an awesome job of taking care of the chicks - better really than we can do. However if you have several mums at once, keep an eye on them. If they start fighting over the chicks, you might want to set up a small nursery area for each mother and chicks.

 

[b.hromada]

Quote:

I agree with you HeChicken! thats the way I would think too!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Moms can get pretty nasty when her babies are threatened. Leave them with her, & they'll be just fine. She'll teach them the skills that they need, eating & drinking.

 

[gritsar]

b.hromada :

Quote:

I agree with you HeChicken! thats the way I would think too!

I agree with HEChicken too. In addition to all that, a mama hen can teach a chick things, chicken "smarts", that humans just can't teach.
Leave em with mom unless there's any trouble.​

 

[andalusn]

I have left my mother hen with the 3 peeps she hatched. Very attentive and PROTECTIVE

Even though she came back to the coop area of the barn after hatching them in private she has not wanted to join the group so I setup a nursery in my 6 x 6 ft dog kennel that we covered with small plastic mesh to keep them inside. They have plenty of room to dart around and they spend the night with her inside a wooden box she seems to like over the dog crate in there too. I am still not sure what to do if my Cochin hatches the eggs she is sitting on. I was hoping to put her in the same Nursery enclosure but now that sound like maybe not.. I would need to divide the square pen to give each a private section I guess... Any suggestions would be appreciated