Need help moving a hen that has hatched a few peeps and still has eggs yet to hatch

[RichnSteph]

Two of our hens went broody. One of them hatched out a chick and left the nest alone long enough for the chick to start shivering even in the Texas heat. I gave that chick and the remaining 5 eggs to the other hen who also hatched today but is staying with her chick and eggs. The problem is that she's hatching in the nesting box and the chicks can't get out to eat and then make it back up to the nest. Can I just move the broody and her clutch/chicks to a ground based nest? I've already got one ready but am unsure if she'll know to go back to them instead of up in the nesting box. I don't want to lose any of the chicks.


Thank you in advance
RIchnSteph

If we have to we can set up a brooder in the house but we'd prefer not to do so since it creates an aroma and we've got family staying with us for a few weeks. Oh and the broody one that left her eggs/chick has moved on to try and sit on other eggs, she is not mother material.

 

[nchls school]

Two of our hens went broody. One of them hatched out a chick and left the nest alone long enough for the chick to start shivering even in the Texas heat. I gave that chick and the remaining 5 eggs to the other hen who also hatched today but is staying with her chick and eggs. The problem is that she's hatching in the nesting box and the chicks can't get out to eat and then make it back up to the nest. Can I just move the broody and her clutch/chicks to a ground based nest? I've already got one ready but am unsure if she'll know to go back to them instead of up in the nesting box. I don't want to lose any of the chicks.


Thank you in advance
RIchnSteph

If we have to we can set up a brooder in the house but we'd prefer not to do so since it creates an aroma and we've got family staying with us for a few weeks. Oh and the broody one that left her eggs/chick has moved on to try and sit on other eggs, she is not mother material.

I would remove the chicks from the nest until the hatch is complete then give the chicks back. Moving the family to ground level might work, but the hen might also take the hatched chicks and leave the nest behind and any unhatched viable eggs/chicks would be lost.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have moved the whole nest to the floor, really depends on the hen, some are fine, others try to get back to the nest, I would try it, I always put my broody and her clutch in a wire circle for a week or so, everyone can see them but they are allowed to grow a bit, learn to eat and drink, and get better at running. I will return them to this enclosure at night until I feel comfortable leaving them out. I wouldn't pull the chicks unless I had to. The hen should stay on the nest about two days then she will leave because her chicks need to eat, they can go a couple of days without eating because they absorb the egg yolk right before hatching.

 

[RichnSteph]

I did put a shallow container of water and one of moistened feed in the nest box with her yesterday and all three of them ate and drank some. Maybe that'll be the solution for a little while?

 

[aart]

I'd move them low and confine them.
If you had a staggered hatch (eggs added to nest after incubation started) you'll just have to lose those later eggs.

 

[RichnSteph]

I'd move them low and confine them.
If you had a staggered hatch (eggs added to nest after incubation started) you'll just have to lose those later eggs.

We've been lifting the hen up every evening and taking out any eggs that were not from the original group. I marked 10 eggs that were laid on 4-6 August and let her keep them so we just pull the unmarked ones out every evening. Thank you for the advice though.

 

[aart]

Quote: Oh that's good! That will remove one complication from the situation.

So both hens were on the same 'schedule' for hatch day?
Maybe the one who left the nest is just not good mama?

 

[RichnSteph]

Oh that's good! That will remove one complication from the situation.

So both hens were on the same 'schedule' for hatch day?
Maybe the one who left the nest is just not good mama?

It's rather an odd story or at least I think it is. We initially had one hen go broody (Angel) and then both Bernie and Clara decided to go broody at the same time. I talked Clara out of it by dunking her in the stock tank but Bernie stuck with it. Angel hatched out 6 chicks, Bernie was off her nest so often I thought that they were surely not going to hatch so I threw them into the compost bin where two of them promptly broke open with live (and kicking) chicks in them. I felt horrible and determined that I'd never toss eggs again unless I knew for a fact that nothing was going to hatch out..

Bernie has once again gone broody and convinced Clara that she needs to try again as well so I made sure that they each had a few eggs collected from the same time period. Bernie hatched one chick and left the nest. Clara hatched one and is still sitting so I gave her Bernie's eggs and chick to take care of. We'll see how she does.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I candle them, I smell them I listen to them, I too have a hard time tossing eggs, so I mark them and don't get rid of them until a week past hatch date, just so what happened to you doesn't happen to me, though it did happen on some duck eggs a few years ago, my husband said they were half developed, still feel horrible.

 

[Den in Penn]

When I have had a broodies adopt chicks the have started out in a high nest (around 3' ) where they were sitting. I gave the chicks to them at night. The next day one of them had them on the floor with no help and no problems. The next one sat for another day before I put her and the chick that hadn't already jumped on the floor. Chicks are good without food and water for 72 hours, so I would either wait for a couple of days, putting the ones back that jump down, then move them. Or move them all now and risk the mother abandons the unhatched eggs in the new nest if she doesn't like it You putting up with some risk either way.