Need Advice for hatch!

[The Chick Addict]

Hello! I have 2 eggs that are being hatched by my Silkie in a nesting box. It is Day 19 and I have heard them peck against the shell and one has cheeped. My questions are: 1. Does the noises they are making mean they have broken out of the air cell? and 2. It is really hot here in Texas. I am going to put nesting box curtains on the nesting boxes and I am hoping that will give my broody, Debbie, more privacy for her and her chicks she is hatching. My problem is, it is so hot and my chickens breathe through their mouths and make it seem hard to breathe. It sometimes is but it really isn't that bad. And it is even harder to breathe in a nesting box. My only option is to let her raise them in a nesting box. I put a chick feeder and waterer in the back of the nesting box. Is that okay? The front is for her and the chicks to move around and brood. Will it be hard for them to breathe? Is there anything I can do to make the air fresh in that nest box specifically to make it easier to breathe? Or will they be fine? Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Photos?!

How large is the nesting box?

I would not put food/water in the nesting box. Provide food/water for Mama and chicks where they will roam once she leaves the nest with them.

If it's really hot, then no, I would not block ventilation off. She's been sitting in the same place this whole time, so why does she now need "privacy"?

Leave the eggs alone and let the chicks do their job and then let Mama do her job taking care of them.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Photos?!

How large is the nesting box?

I would not put food/water in the nesting box. Provide food/water for Mama and chicks where they will roam once she leaves the nest with them.

If it's really hot, then no, I would not block ventilation off. She's been sitting in the same place this whole time, so why does she now need "privacy"?

Leave the eggs alone and let the chicks do their job and then let Mama do her job taking care of them.

The nesting boxes are a ways off the ground so it would be hard and maybe even dangerous to get out until they are a little older. They could fall out, so that is why I wanted to put the curtains so mama could get out but not chicks. And the adult feeders and waterers are too high off the ground for the chicks to reach. I also do not trust my other chickens to treat the chicks kindly, as some of them have occasionally been pushy and have kicked Debbie off the nest, and have never seen other baby chicks. That is one of the worries I have, so that is why I wanted to put chick feeders and waterers inside the nesting boxes and add curtains.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Unless your nesting box is Huge, then it's not a good idea.

Mama will take them off the nest once they hatch and take them to food/water - this is why you provide a chick feeder and waterer that she and the chicks can access outside.

If you are concerned about her and her chicks moving about with the flock, then once the hatch is finished, move them to their own pen so she has room to take care of them, but it's going to be hard on her and the chicks when it's time for integration.

I've had hens raise chicks in areas that are off the ground, I just place extra bedding or straw underneath so the chicks can jump back in the nest with Mama. You'd be surprised how high a 2 day old chick can really jump if motivated to get with Mama.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Unless your nesting box is Huge, then it's not a good idea.

Mama will take them off the nest once they hatch and take them to food/water - this is why you provide a chick feeder and waterer that she and the chicks can access outside.

If you are concerned about her and her chicks moving about with the flock, then once the hatch is finished, move them to their own pen so she has room to take care of them, but it's going to be hard on her and the chicks when it's time for integration.

I've had hens raise chicks in areas that are off the ground, I just place extra bedding or straw underneath so the chicks can jump back in the nest with Mama. You'd be surprised how high a 2 day old chick can really jump if motivated to get with Mama.

Thank you! I will try to send pics tomorrow to show the setup.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Okay here is the setup:

These are the feeders and waterers and Cuddlebug is helping me show how high they are. The circled area is her nest box and the line down there is the height for the jump down. I don't know if there is any room to put a chick feeder and waterer beside the nesting box. The adult feeders and waterers are way too high for chicks. And the coop gets really crowded during the day (in this pic they are free-ranging).

Here is another pic. 1. Is the nesting box, 2. is the floor and the jump down, and 3. is the waterer that is in front of the box.

Here she is in the nesting box. She has the eggs under her and those are the chick things in the back. I put them there just to rule out the space and where I was putting them. Should I still keep them there?

 

[NatJ]

I wanted to put the curtains so mama could get out but not chicks.

I think that is a bad idea. Once the chicks are out of the eggs, they should be WITH their mother. When she goes to eat and drink, so should they. Hens are not supposed to leave their chicks and wander off-- any hen that does, is not being a good mother.

And the adult feeders and waterers are too high off the ground for the chicks to reach. I also do not trust my other chickens to treat the chicks kindly, as some of them have occasionally been pushy and have kicked Debbie off the nest, and have never seen other baby chicks. That is one of the worries I have, so that is why I wanted to put chick feeders and waterers inside the nesting boxes and add curtains.

From the photos you showed, I think chicks can probably jump out of the nest safely, but will not be able to get back in. So coming out is a one-way trip, and all chicks need to do it at the same time.

Given the size of the nestbox, it might be better to keep the hen in with the chicks, with food and water, until all eggs have hatched (with just 2 eggs it should be easy to tell.) After that, I would probably move the hen and chicks out of the nest and give them a place on the floor. (Or unblock the nestbox and let them move themselves, but watch to make sure the hen doesn't walk off with one chick and leave the other peeping unhappily.)

You certainly do need to provide feeders & waterers that the chicks can reach. Hanging the normal ones lower is one possibility. Or providing something like a brick the chicks can hope onto, to reach the food & water (once they are a few days old, chicks can usually jump pretty high. Just watch to see.)

If you are really worried about the other hens bothering the chicks, then yes you need to protect the hen & chicks somehow. But I do not think you should do anything that lets the hen go places without her chicks (exception to that: if you want to raise the chicks yourself, separating them from the hen is fine. But don't expect her to be with the chicks sometimes and away at other times.)

 

[The Chick Addict]

I think that is a bad idea. Once the chicks are out of the eggs, they should be WITH their mother. When she goes to eat and drink, so should they. Hens are not supposed to leave their chicks and wander off-- any hen that does, is not being a good mother.


From the photos you showed, I think chicks can probably jump out of the nest safely, but will not be able to get back in. So coming out is a one-way trip, and all chicks need to do it at the same time.

Given the size of the nestbox, it might be better to keep the hen in with the chicks, with food and water, until all eggs have hatched (with just 2 eggs it should be easy to tell.) After that, I would probably move the hen and chicks out of the nest and give them a place on the floor. (Or unblock the nestbox and let them move themselves, but watch to make sure the hen doesn't walk off with one chick and leave the other peeping unhappily.)

You certainly do need to provide feeders & waterers that the chicks can reach. Hanging the normal ones lower is one possibility. Or providing something like a brick the chicks can hope onto, to reach the food & water (once they are a few days old, chicks can usually jump pretty high. Just watch to see.)

If you are really worried about the other hens bothering the chicks, then yes you need to protect the hen & chicks somehow. But I do not think you should do anything that lets the hen go places without her chicks (exception to that: if you want to raise the chicks yourself, separating them from the hen is fine. But don't expect her to be with the chicks sometimes and away at other times.)

Thank you! Is there anything I can put so the chicks could get back inside the nest box?

 

[NatJ]

Thank you! Is there anything I can put so the chicks could get back inside the nest box?

You could try stacking up bricks to make steps, or something like that. Chicks develop quite fast, so they may only need a few days or a week until they can jump that high without trouble.

If you want them to sleep in the nestbox but be out during the day, you might just lift them in at night and block the entrance to keep them there, then let them out in the morning, until they are big enough to do it themselves (not practical with a dozen chicks or for long stretches of time, but might work for two chicks for a few days or a week). If you do block the entrance, be careful: chicks can squeeze through very small spaces, and you don't want one getting out by mistake and then being unable to get back.

 

[The Chick Addict]

You could try stacking up bricks to make steps, or something like that. Chicks develop quite fast, so they may only need a few days or a week until they can jump that high without trouble.

If you want them to sleep in the nestbox but be out during the day, you might just lift them in at night and block the entrance to keep them there, then let them out in the morning, until they are big enough to do it themselves (not practical with a dozen chicks or for long stretches of time, but might work for two chicks for a few days or a week). If you do block the entrance, be careful: chicks can squeeze through very small spaces, and you don't want one getting out by mistake and then being unable to get back.

Thank you again! My plan is: I am going to leave the chick feeder and waterer in the nest box because the adult ones are too high and they contain layer pellets not chick feed. I am putting this spare rabbit hutch stair case that I have at the edge of the nest box so the chicks can easily get back in when they and mama go out to explore. The adult waterer blocks it a bit but it should be fine. I am hoping the other chickens will leave them alone and not hurt them.