Naturally Hatching Eggs!

[DWClay]

Okay so this morning I checked up on everyone and poor new baby was all alone. My hen was trying to get her to follow her with all the other chicks but she is lethargic and was shaking. I’ve brought her inside with the brooder heating pad. I’ve given her food and water. She has a really big cut across her left eye! Not sure what happened! But I figure I’d give her some nutri drench, time to get warm, neosporin on the cut then give her back to mom tonight.

She is significantly younger than the other chicks (about 4 days) so she does have some catch up to play!

Anymore advice is welcome! I figure I’ll just keep giving her some extra help and she’ll be alright!

I apologize for the set up usually I’d get a bigger container but I figured this was alright for a day!

 

[DWClay]

HELP
Posted this as a new thread on Raising checks forum as well! But also wanted to ask everyone else! That’s been giving such great advice in this thread!
I think it was momma hen that hurt baby…I originally thought that matting are her face was a cut but she is missing her down feather all around her left eye and the back of her head.
I was worried it was from the new chicken wire I had put on the outside rod my wide chicken wire coop to stop the babies from escaping the coop. So I moved momma and babies to the chicken tractor for the night in hopes that I could find how she got hurt.
It got dark because of a storm coming in and momma took babies inside the chicken tractor and got everyone under her. I thought this was a good time to give her baby back.
She immediately pecked at her twice and she ran back to me. I’m starting to think it was momma that caused the damage to babies face…
Where she is 2-3 days behind everyone else she is a little smaller than the other chicks.
So my question is. Should I cut my loses and raise her? Or should I try again tonight to give her to momma?
I don’t want to give her baby if she’s just going to kill it!
And then theres the raising her by herself or getting another chick so she’s not alone…and then the introduction part sounds extremely intimidating…So PLEASE HELP! I have no idea what to do!

 

[jaxstudios]

I think you’ll risk coming back and the gosling is dead. If the bird is behind the others in size and hatch time…the mom will reject it thinking it doesn’t ‘t belong. Trust me you will regret leaving the bird with her if she’s already shown signs of rejecting it. It will run off and get cold and die or she will kill it if it can’t get away from her.

 

[Slothinc]

If there are scabs or blood on the chick, then the mom will probably continue to peck there. Maybe you could take one extra chick from mama to raise with this one inside a brooder. Does the youngest chick look different from the others in color? If not, then you could raise two chicks in the brooder, and then after the youngest chick is healed and good on its feet, put the two back with the mom (important to do at night, after dark, so both mom and the chicks dont get confused.)

 

[DWClay]

If there are scabs or blood on the chick, then the mom will probably continue to peck there. Maybe you could take one extra chick from mama to raise with this one inside a brooder. Does the youngest chick look different from the others in color? If not, then you could raise two chicks in the brooder, and then after the youngest chick is healed and good on its feet, put the two back with the mom (important to do at night, after dark, so both mom and the chicks dont get confused.)

Okay! Yes, she is the only solid black. The others are mixed colors. I can probably steal the one that is her full blooded sibling. It hatched less than 48 hours before her and it’s closest to her size! It’s so crazy because they are full blooded but look sooo different.

 

[DWClay]

I think you’ll risk coming back and the gosling is dead. If the bird is behind the others in size and hatch time…the mom will reject it thinking it doesn’t ‘t belong. Trust me you will regret leaving the bird with her if she’s already shown signs of rejecting it. It will run off and get cold and die or she will kill it if it can’t get away from her.

I’m definitely nervous of that. I am leaning more towards raising her myself. I’ve already grown really attached and would be so upset if I did anything to cause her to be hurt.

 

[Slothinc]

Oh yeah, the fact that she is solid black and none of the others are… will make it more difficult for mom to recognize her as one of her babies. Darn it!

 

[Yardmom]

The longer you get from hatch day the more likely Mom is to reject it. The injury might have happened when it didn't keep up or it might have been mom, but It is time for a new plan because now she does not consider it part of the brood. Taking another chick in to brood with it is a good plan if you are sure the chick will survive. Do not plan on putting the chicks back with mom later. She will not accept them as her own.

 

[DWClay]

Okay New plan! I’ll steal her full blooded sibling today then raise them together! Mom will still have 4 to raise so she’s shouldn’t be too ticked! And less babies to keep track of! My mom is taking one of the chicks I will be hand raising anyway, so this actually works out pretty well. Not what I hoped would happen, but hey, we’ve got to adapt!

 

[DWClay]

The longer you get from hatch day the more likely Mom is to reject it. The injury might have happened when it didn't keep up or it might have been mom, but It is time for a new plan because now she does not consider it part of the brood. Taking another chick in to brood with it is a good plan if you are sure the chick will survive. Do not plan on putting the chicks back with mom later. She will not accept them as her own.

Okay!Thank you! I’m planning on getting her full blooded sibling and raising them together! He was the one to hatch last before her so out of all the chicks he’s the smallest!