Mama abandoned her chicks

[chicknmania]

So sorry things didn't work out with your hen. This happened to me last year. She was a great setter, but attacked and rejected chicks. I was SO disappointed because I had really planned on the mother hen doing the work of brooding, feeding, teaching and protecting the chicks.

They will definitely need heat in order to survive. You might want to try an Infratherm Sweeter Heater. It's much safer than a heat lamp. I too was worried about a potential fire, so I switched from heat lamps to the Sweeter heater panel this year.

They don't need artificial heat in order to survive, with the possible exception of it being very cold, or if there is only one or two chicks. We've had chicks go without heat many times when it was only 40 degrees at night, and never had one die from the cold. Ever. As long as they have something to cuddle up with and under, they're fine. A bird's body heat is a lot hotter than humans, and freathers or not, they keep each other warm.