- May 20, 2008
- 290
- 1
- 154
I've had these chicks in my house for 3 weeks now. FIL gave them to me. They were getting too big for my warmer so I had to do something. I have a real maternal silkie so last night just at dusk when everyone is getting ready to roost I took the advice of some here and put her in a cage and slipped the little ones in with her. I had the cage fixed so that they couldn't leave and everyone was roosting by the time I left. I decided it was sink or swim for these little guys because I just didn't have any other options. DH won't put a heat lamp in the coop. Period.
This morning I came out and 2 of them were fine. Snuggled up to their new mommy. 3rd one was in a corner, dead. No markings at all so I'm sure it died of exposure.
I feel terrible. Maybe if I had sat out there for awhile longer and insisted that it stay in the nesting box with the mama it would have lived. This little one wasn't too smart from the start and I guess it was just survival of the fittest but still.
FIL tried to get me to take more babies last night. I told him no way...leave them under the hen for warmth. I can't stand to have any more die. I had to have DH cull one last week and I cried about that too.
UGH...this is awfully hard.
This morning I came out and 2 of them were fine. Snuggled up to their new mommy. 3rd one was in a corner, dead. No markings at all so I'm sure it died of exposure.
I feel terrible. Maybe if I had sat out there for awhile longer and insisted that it stay in the nesting box with the mama it would have lived. This little one wasn't too smart from the start and I guess it was just survival of the fittest but still.
FIL tried to get me to take more babies last night. I told him no way...leave them under the hen for warmth. I can't stand to have any more die. I had to have DH cull one last week and I cried about that too.
UGH...this is awfully hard.