My hen went broody and is now a momma! Lots of Questions!

[dodgewoman]

Omg, I have a ton of questions for you all! My broody hen actually hatched put chicks! I'm shocked! Seeing as I've only had chickens for a year I now nothing about this.

We went out today to feed and water. We noticed that one chick was trying to emerge. We had to leave. When we came back it hadn't made any progress. We picked up the hen(mich to her dismay) and 3 little chicks started peeping! Another one is also trying to emerge.

First. Should I help those two that are trying to emerge? Should I break away part of the shell for them? Them have made no more progress in 3 hours.

Second. Do we section off a corner of the coop for the hen and her chicks? I don't want the other hens to brutally kill them. I have 14 week old chickens that I tried to integrate a few weeks ago and they pecked one to death. So I'm worried about the this time.

Third. Should we get chick crumble foe them and get another water fount? Currently the water is outside of the coop.

Hope someone answers soon! This is exciting and scary at the same time, lol

 

[donrae]

Congratulations!

I don't help chicks out. If they're not strong enough to hatch, they're not strong enough to live IMO. Opinions vary on that here, but I have no time or inclination for special needs animals. I'm very much a non-interventionist. Some chicks die, but I'd rather they die at hatch than 3-4 days old after suffering.

I also advocate leaving momma in with the other birds. She will defend her babies against the other hens and the chicks will just grow up as part of the flock, avoiding the integration problems you had with your other chicks. Yes, the older hens may peck at the babies once in a while, and the baby will make a huge fuss and run back to momma, but as long as there isn't any chasing or blood you should be good. That momma hen will be moody and hormonal and protective enough the other birds will understand she will kill them if they mess with her babies lol.

Momma will usually stay on the nest for 2ish days once babies start hatching, then she'll leave to show them food and water. Where that is depends on your set up. The babies need to be able to access food and water and they're not good at using ramps for the first week or more, so adjust accordingly. In a week or so momma will have the babies out and about with the flock and you can remove extra waterers and feeders.

I feed all my birds an all-in-one type feed, so everyone eats the same thing. You need to not let the chicks have layer feed, just change everyone to starter/grower and you'll be fine.

Again, congratulations! Few things are as fun as watching a momma hen raise her chicks. It really gives good insight into flock dynamics and how to artifically brood chicks in the future.

 

[dodgewoman]

I did help it out, I just couldn't help myself! So yes, you are right it may not live if it's not strong enough. Hopefully I just wasn't patient enough and it will be OK. It was peeping away so I take that as a good sign.

We watched the an older hen come in, stare at the momma and the one brave baby chick that was walking in front of her and then walk back away. So yes, I think what you said is just right. They know not to mess with momma! I'm just jaded/scared from the last time.

I bought a small bag of baby chick crumble. I have a small feeder and waterer right near them for now. They don't have to go very far at all. So even my laying hens will do OK on the starter/grower feed? Do I need to supplement the layers with something?

My other question is.....my momma seems to be a bit of a hoarder with the eggs. She would "steal" the other hens eggs if I didn't get out there fast enough to scoop them up. So she has some EE eggs under her as well(she's a gold sex link) plus about 6 more eggs! Should I let her still sit on those and wait for them to hatch(if they ever do) or should I call it good and take them from her so she will mother? She seems to be doing good right now as she's letting the chicks under her wings, etc. but she won't be moving anytime soon.

Thanks for your help!

 

[donrae]

Your big girls will do fine on starter or grower. Give them some oyster shell, I just toss a handful in the run when I think of it--it will supplement calcuim to keep shells strong. They really don't need much, and I figure scattering it gives them something to do, scratching around looking for it. The chicks may taste it when they're older, but they won't eat much as it just won't appeal to their bodies.

Momma will usually set on the nest about 2 days after the first chick hatches, to let the stragglers hatch also. If she added eggs say a week into incubation, those eggs aren't going to hatch as she wont' set that long. I'd just wait until she leaves the nest on her own, then clean out the debris--shell pieces, unhatched eggs. I've found once she leaves, any eggs left aren't going to hatch. If there are a fair amount of them, you might try incubating, but then you'll have to brood them also as she is likely to reject them.

She will know when to give up on the eggs left in the nest and focus her attention on the live babies. This is also why baby chicks absorb that whole yolk just proir to hatch, so they don't need to eat or drink for the first day or so while momma finishes hatching out the clutch.

I'll tell you, if you like watching a rooster call his ladies for treats, wait until you see momma call her babies when she finds something tasty! It's just the most adorable thing!

 

[dodgewoman]

Thanks for the info! Greatly appreciated. I'll have to see what she does tomorrow as by then it'll be 2 days at least. The chicks have food very close and are already getting it on their own. I really hope these3 do well and mama is a good one. It's def. a much different experience then doing it myself, lol

 

[Autumn D]

honestly in my own experiance with broody hens is that it is best to take out the chicks and raise them yourself, this will greatly increase the chicks chance at serval. all the chicks that i have left with the broody have die and now im not taking anymore chances, even if it breaks my heart to take them away from mama.

 

[donrae]

I don't know what is happening with your hens and chicks, but momma hens have been raising baby chicks for thousands of years, I can't imaging people can do a better job in a bin with a heat lamp. I'd seriously look at management practices if I had a high fatality rate with hen brooded chicks. Mine is basically zero, once they hatch.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ditto. I have 3 hens caring for chicks right now. They're doing a fabulous job!

 

[chooks4life]

Chicks get many things from being raised with hens that they cannot get from humans and artificial environments. A whole lot of natural immunities and necessary inherited and acquired gastrointestinal fauna and flora are just some of the things needed for good health that being raised in a man made sterilized environment does not allow. It's the same principals behind the doctor's support of young children playing in dirt; it's best for a strong immune system. The more you disinfect their environment with chemicals and try to artificially protect them, the weaker they are.

If it's a staggered hatch that takes a few days I keep them caged for a week to let the newer chicks get their 'zooming' legs on, lol. But if it's a brood hatch completed in 24/48 hours, I let mine go freeranging with the mothers from day one, mixing in with the flock of all ages and both genders and many breeds. I also have an average of a 100% success rate of survival into adulthood. I feed mine grain mix which sometimes becomes fermented feed, kelp powder or granules, (pinch per bird per day) and raw minced/crushed garlic, (however much they want) mixed into the grain, and that prevents them from any problems with coccidiosis as well as a huge amount of other diseases and both internal and external parasites. A good mum in a good environment will be able to supply their protein needs, but I generally give them raw milk or other natural proteins too because I run a lot of chooks at any give time.

Also, I'd much rather a hen rear her own babies because those chickens will be much more likely to be calmer with other chooks; I think most if not all of the issues with chickens killing one another is due to them being reared artificially in the first place. After a few generations of same-age single-gender flocks being reared, as is common, the instincts governing natural family and flock behaviour are weakened for lack of reinforcement and they can lose ability to peacefully cohabit with other chickens of other ages and breeds. Another issue to consider is artificially reared roosters and hens becoming sexually oriented to humans because that's their only parental and flock imprint. That helps to cause some bad situations. Some roosters turn violent after realizing the human they're trying to mate with is not willing therefore must be a male, therefore must be fought. They need to know they are chickens and other chickens are their mates. I also oppose artificial insemination as a routine method for the same reasons. It's all fine in the right situation and context but the less we interfere with our animal's breeding and family lives, the better.

I have helped weak chicks hatch but don't breed them. If it got turned too many times by an overanxious new mother, or other accidents happen that lead to the chicks needing help through no fault of their own, then I'll consider breeding those... Maybe. Personally I very much have the time and inclination for special needs animals as some of those are the best pets ever; others are very educational. I take in a lot of special needs rejects and injured or ill animals and have found that even some of the nastiest problems can be fixed, and generally the investment was worth it. Each to their own.

 

[dodgewoman]

Well, I think she will be a good momma! Today I came home and went to put oyster shells in the run. There was mama with her 3 little babies around her showing them how to forage and scratch! So cute to watch! I went back to the nest box to dispose of the other eggs as obviously they won't hatch out now. One was very broken and I could see at one point a chick was forming but it didn't make it. Sad to see but obviously there was a reason it didn't make it.

They were in the run with 2 roosters and other hens just ignoring them! I was thrilled to see that. Hopefully she continues to keep them safe. Very different from when I tired to introduce 10 week olds into this same flock and they pecked one to death! I will def. let my hens go broody if they wish to continue on my flock as I have lost some to hawks and other issues. As long as my neighbors continue to be ok with my Roos that is, lol