New baby chick question

[dnowa1975]

Hello all

Well yesterday our mile fleur silkie cross successfully hatched her first chick! Because she's still sitting on 5 more eggs moma got back in her box to sit on them and the baby was out on it's own so we grabbed her and put her in a little box with wood shavings, food, water and a nice soft stuffed bear! Baby loves the bear and stays snuggled under it. She seems fine and does acknowledge when we come in to check on her but how do we know if she is eating and drinking? Also any tips for us? Anything we need to do or not do? We are hoping for may e another successful hatch in the next few days to give the chick a buddy. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

A broody hen will generally continue to set on the eggs for about three days after the first one hatches providing they all don't hatch at the same time. She knows that she has to get up and show the new chicks how to eat and drink so she will sacrifice the remaining eggs. Generally if you have early hatchers or late hatchers, which ever is the case, the early ones will get out and explore even without mama hen. As long as they can easily get back into the nest box they are usually fine. She will call them back to her as she sets on the remaining eggs.
As for your little peep in the box, you can take it and gently dip it's beak into the water and it will then know where the water is. You can sprinkle a bit of food around the box and it will eat. A newborn chick can go for up to three days without eating or drinking as it survives off the yolk sack that its body absorbed. You can try to tuck the little one back under mama and see if she will accept it back which she should unless you don't want her to raise the chicks on her own.

 

[Barrdwing]

A newly hatched chick can go two days before it starts getting hungry. That said, the simplest solution I've found is to put some chick starter on a small lid, add a little water to turn it into mush, and then set it in the chick's box. Tap the mush with your finger and say "Chick chick chick!" Then hold your mushy finger where the chick can inspect it. Often the chick will be curious, and peck a bit of mush up and taste it. Basically what you're doing here is imitating a mother hen offering her chick food. You can also add a little finely chopped hard-boiled egg yolk on top of the mush--they love it.

Generally our new chicks didn't care much about food on the first day, but by the second day they wanted some. We did dip their beaks in the water on the first day, just to make sure they understood what and where it was.

You'll also want to keep her warm: 95 degrees for the first week is standard, although if her sibs hatch soon, she can go back in with her mother. Incidentally, when we've got a hen who's hatched an early chick and doesn't want to leave her nest, we'll give her a little dish of mush right in the nest box or else on a brick immediately outside the door. The hen shows the early chick how to eat mush, and the chick gets to stay with its mum while the rest of the eggs hatch. So that's an option too, although it's not as much fun.

 

[dnowa1975]

Ok. That helps. The baby seems to know where the water and food are. She seems to be exhausted. Is that normal? I mean I know shes just a day old and all.....she really likes her surrogate stuffed bear. I think we are good on the temp and I have a red light over her in the house. We'll see if we get any more hatches in the next few days!

 

[welasharon]

Mine just hatched her first the first of June, her second the second and her third the third day of June. I left them with her. I was really surprised the last one hatched. I am, however, in FL and it has been 100 here this week so it could not have gotten too cold when she had the others out for a bit.
sharon

 

[dnowa1975]

Ours had a bad hatch (dead chick) last week but we had some cold nights (40s) and I think that may have had something to do with it....hoping the warmer temps we now having will help more hatches...

 

[Barrdwing]

First day out of the shell, a chick does a lot of sleeping. That's normal. If it's older than a day and sleeping a lot, I'd keep an eye on it and coax it to eat every couple of hours.