Moving hen and new baby chicks

[jeannedeaux]

I just had a chick hatch yesterday and another today. There is one more egg left on this time frame; I have 4 other eggs under the hen that are from later which I will incubate. The actual due date was tomorrow and I'm wondering when to move the little family if that one doesn't hatch? I had to close her into the nest because she refused to move and is up high in a regular laying box, thus she can't move out on her own or kick out eggs she doesn't want. Also, there is no sign of the shells--do they eat them to clean up the nest??

 

[jeannedeaux]

I just had a chick hatch yesterday and another today. There is one more egg left on this time frame; I have 4 other eggs under the hen that are from later which I will incubate. The actual due date was tomorrow and I'm wondering when to move the little family if that one doesn't hatch? I had to close her into the nest because she refused to move and is up high in a regular laying box, thus she can't move out on her own or kick out eggs she doesn't want. Also, there is no sign of the shells--do they eat them to clean up the nest??

 

[BrownBugg]

My silkie chose to brood in everyone's favourite nesting box this time around, and it caused some complications. I tried to move her and the eggs 3 times but she wasn't having it. The other hens kept sneaking in and laying their eggs under her, so I had to check under her every few days, candle and remove the imposters and then 'kill' them haha. It was stressful for everyone! Once the chicks hatched, she came out of her broody trance, and I quite easily moved her and her chicks to a nest on the floor I made up for them. I just grabbed her carefully (making sure there are no chicks stuck up under her wings) and quickly put her in the new nest, then grabbed the chicks and put them with her. She tucked them under her right away and settled in. I was worried about them falling out of the high nesting box too. She settled happily and easily on the floor once all the babies were hatched, but I couldn't convince her to move before then.

 

[Chikaholic]

If the other hens aren't broody, I wouldn't bother moving them. Momma will keep the chicks safe from the bigger group, and she won't take them out until they can run fairly well anyway. As long as the ramp has a rough surface so they can grip as they walk, run, or hop up, they'll learn how to get up and down the ramp with no problem. She'll show them.

The only real issue with keeping the chicks and momma hen separate, is if other broody hens try to squeeze into the same nest. They often step on the chicks in an attempt to get comfortable with another full-grown hen in the same box.

Also, if there wasn't a ramp, and the chicks could get down onto the ground but not back up into the coop, momma hen would find a quiet corner on the ground and start nesting them there. She likely won't abandon the babies just because they can't hop back up.

Question of my own... My hen went broody in our raised beds and there is no ramp. We also will need to move them some where safer. Will they be okay until we move them as it's about a 2 1/2 ft drop. And when can we move them to safe zone? And also how do we do it all safely? New chicken owners and this is our first time having our hen go broody.

 

[ChickenWabbits47]

Hello chicken family mommy's..
I have 11 female chickens and obe male . I have a one bruin momma hen that has layed on 11 eggs and there not all hers but she has hached and is raising them all WELL!!! I have moved them to the meat box which is 10x10 and 4ft high with security water heater heat lamp. My question is, after I moved them because a couple baby chicks were, we're pecked to death by the rooster .. so I want to move the mama brewery, Han and her 11 babies back into the secured electric fence, chicken kit, but nesting boxes as well and the other mamas, but when can I put the baby chicks in the mama back in with the rest of the family when the baby chicks get feathers on them? I just don't want them to be packed to death. I'm a first time mama with new babies, but I have had probably 7 groups of farm egg lane, chickens, 5 years here. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated for the safety of the new babies I have.Thank you very much.

 

[Needmorechickens]

I have to say this new mother hen business can be quite stressful, but what a relief when everything goes well, as well as can be expected I guess. Out of eight eggs only three hatched, only one was a full egg unhatched—I shook it and it was liquid inside—the others were decimated, four of which I could find almost no trace between the muck and poop the hen had been sitting on the whole time. She was a trooper though, she really never left her nest in three weeks and only ate little bites and drank some water I had put within reach.

Once the first chick hatched I was nervous about when, and if, other’s would. I think it took a day and a half. She sat still for a full two days before finally this morning she wobbled up and moved out of her nest. I could then clean it out and move her and her chicks over to another nest where they can all walk around a bit. I suppose she will be weak for a day or two. I remember once being hospitalized where I couldn’t get out of bed for three weeks and boy I sure couldn’t walk very far the first few days!

The three chicks are healthy and soooo cute!

Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement, not having experienced this before it’s amazing how simple and straightforward it can be. Now I’m crossing my finger they are all hens!

I just hatched my very first three, I think I will move them all tomorrow. There are six eggs in total two more are pipping. She is hatching them in the large coop where there are two roosters and about 12 other hens that roost there at night so I feel like I need to move her. I have a Brooder coop that I can move her too, but I didn't want to do it while they were hatching. I meant to do it yesterday, but life got in the way!