New chicken daddy here

[Doctordee]

Hi folks,
I have had chickens for many years but this is the first time letting my broody silkie hatch fertilised eggs.
So my question is.. my silkie has potentially eight fertilised eggs below her. The eggs are from two different chicken breed and are also two to three days difference in incubation. The first two eggs hatched yesterday and mother is looking after them well, but hasn't shown them the feeder or water bowl, because she is still sitting on the other eggs.
Will she leave the eggs to show the new chicks the food/water or will she wait till the other batch hatches which will possibly be day three or four for the chicks born yesterday? Do i go in and place the new chicks at the feeder / water bowl and then place back with mother or wait and see?
Thanks in advance.

 

[The Happster]

Could go either way. I would say the hen will probably leave some eggs unhatched. It's never great to have eggs days apart.
If you have an incubator, I would check it is working.
The chicks can last a day or so. They have just absorbed the yolk. But if you have them more than two days apart... You may have to take the chicks out for food & water. That might make the hen get off though. It's a bit of a gamble.
I personally think the hen will leave the nest after a couple of days anyway.

 

[Shezadandy]

They're good for 2 days at least with the egg yolk they're digesting (which is why we can mail 1 day old baby chicks without food/water)- as nature knew most momma birds won't have everyone hatch on the same day and as such they would have to survive until momma was ready to get up and show them the food/water. The very last thing they do before hatching is absorb the egg yolk into their abdomen, and then they digest it (which is why there's poop even when the chick hasn't eaten yet).

It's probably a good sign that she's not doing the feed/water thing yet because once she's up, she's done incubating. I like to leave a shallow water dish and a food dish (I grind my crumbles up a bit more) within her reach so she can do both.

If it's a mellow hen that doesn't mind you kidnapping chicks, you could have a feeding station in the kitchen where you introduce the older chicks to the food and water yourself, then return them to their mom. Covering the chick as you put it back can make it easier, i.e. you keep your hand completely over the chick so if she pecks, she hits you and not the chick. If she's fractious about being reached in on, I would leave them where they are, and move the food and shallow water closer to her.

This brings me to the least agreeable part of broody-hen-ness ... the poop. Personally I will, after a couple days with babies tickling her undersides … gently scoop the hen off the nest after dark and place her somewhere you don't mind having the worst smelling splattiest chicken poo of all time land. I've got a special spot on my deck railing for this. I take the remaining eggs and put them in a safe spot, and before she goes back in the nest (in the dark) the chicks are sequestered to a safe corner while she resettles, much relieved. Then I give her the eggs back, make sure the babies are tucked in and she's good to go. Some will call this sacrilege - but I've cleaned enough awful messes off eggs and chicks and the hen herself when there's a gap in hatching that it's now standard procedure around here. Not every hen can hold it for days and days and days.

 

[Doctordee]

Thank you @OneHappyRooster and @Shezadandy. I decided to get into the nursery coop and due to the size of the box she and the chicks are in, I was able to quickly move some straw and put two very shallow plant pot saucers in. One with water, less than 5mm deep and a saucer of extra crushed chick feed. I have cctv on the box so have seen the chicks eat and drink and so is mummy. I can refill the water via a straw from the outside so not to disturb them. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you @OneHappyRooster and @Shezadandy. I decided to get into the nursery coop and due to the size of the box she and the chicks are in, I was able to quickly move some straw and put two very shallow plant pot saucers in. One with water, less than 5mm deep and a saucer of extra crushed chick feed. I have cctv on the box so have seen the chicks eat and drink and so is mummy. I can refill the water via a straw from the outside so not to disturb them. Thanks again for the advice.

Awesome! Let the fun begin!