New Mommy Advice Please

[Aban]

3 days ago lil chicks starting poping out, we decided to let the new mom do what she does. The other Chickens were pestering her and the new babies pretty bad, I am assumning that they were curious...we partioned an area off for her and the babies to give them a lil bit more peace and quite. All of the eggs have not hatched, and we do not know if we should leave them alone in hopes that they might hatch or go ahead and remove them so that she can just focus on the baby chicks (she does not seem as intrested in sitting with the eggs anymore and they seem to be more in her and the new babies way more than anything else), The other thing is that she seems different, I do realize that this is her first set of eggs, but her comb is not as bright and she feathers seem to have dulled during her "sitting' time also. I am not sure what to do. she and the babies seem to be eating and drinking well. I am giving her all of the same things that she had before she started sitting, and I have even when out and gotten her some of her favorite fresh herbs. I really need some suggestions please.

1) Should I leave the eggs in the nest with momma and babies or remove them so that there is more room?
2) Should I be concernded about the dull color of her comb, and feathers or is this natural due to the stress of sitting on her eggs for so long?

 

[missnu01]

It will take her a while to look right again. Sitting still for so long and barely eating and drinking does take its toll.
And unless you have an incubator I would leave the eggs until she fully leaves the nest. Possible more will hatch out.

 

[sdm111]

If the chicks are 3 days old id dispose of the eggs. And the hens been sitting only eating and drinking enough basically to support her life so she's drained, it'll take a lil while but shell get back to her usual self.

 

[1muttsfan]

I agree with the above advice. It was a wise move to separate them, some birds can be quite aggressive toward chicks.

 

[Aban]

Update...right after i submitted my concerns, my husband came in a heard banging around in the nest...she broke all but 2 of the eggs. Almost all of them had lil babies in them. I removed the eggs and we have rigged up a seperate lil tractor for her and her new babies. Do yall know why she woulda broke all the eggs? and should I offer her the option to bring the babies out into the small tractor? and is there anything that I can do or offer her to help her (enzyems, special food, ect)?

Sorry for all the questions, but she just looks sooo pitiful and I feel so bad for her. I am worried that we might shoulda took the babies away from her. We just thought that natual would be the better way.... we are hoping we did not make the wrong decission.

 

[sdm111]

These things happen. I use broody hens and incubators so I always take the biddies after they dry. I have let them with the hen in the past but learned if the nest is not big enough there's a good chance she will accidentally kill some by crushing either under by stepping or one getting caught between the rear of the box and the hen. It's your call but I would personally take them. And as for momma I would give vitamin and electrolytes in the water and give her a thick slurry of starter, layer, egg and water with vitamin and electrolyte made in a food processor. I have one just for that specific purpose along with grinding starter finer for newly hatched chicks so they waste less.

 

[Aban]

oh thank you, do you think I should still be giving her fresh herbs? and what do you think about letting her and the babies out into a small sized tractor to be able to get some "out of coop" time

 

[sdm111]

Yeah if she wants them,I don't know how a delicate chick digestive system would handle herbs though. And yeah you could let them out if not too cold shell ( should ) take care of them. Is she a pullet or hen? Her first hatch? I have found pullets make better moms than old hens. I guess cause a pullet wants to be a mom, whereas an older hen is like ok whatever I'm hungry

 

[missnu01]

She will recover with time. You ever seen a dog right after they have puppies? Do you have children? Surely you know for each time you become a parent you look worse and worse. There is a price to pay to procreate... nothing you can do about it. It's rough on anything to bring life into the world. I would have taken the remaining eggs and incubated them indoors, that's all I would change. I don't let my chickens hatch their eggs. If I want chick's I hatch eggs, I'm way way better at it than the chickens are. I have 2 hens go broody last year and they were both setting 10 eggs, you know how many chick's I got? 2...freaking 2 and one disappeared within 2 days of hatching. That never happens when I hatch the eggs myself

 

[sdm111]

My broodys are far better than I am so far I've had 4 broody hatches and all were 100% incubating I average 80%ish