noob questions

[gigelus2k13]

Hi all,

I have a Buff Orpington who is desperate to become a mom; I finally caved in and got some fertile eggs for her and she's been carefully sitting on them since this past Saturday.

Just like before (when I was fighting her broodiness), she is not moving almost at all from the eggs. My concern is regarding her own health. I do put daily a little scratch and sunflower seeds in front of her and she gobbles all of it right away so I know she's hungry.

The question I have is: should I take her out of the coop, so that, when she's walking back to the nesting box she has a chance to "stretch her legs", poop some and drink a little water? Would the eggs she's hatching be affected by a 2 minutes lack of mommy warmth?

Or should I leave the hen alone (still some 18 days to go)?

Thanks.

 

[miguel2299]

After eggs have been sat on they can be two hours without being warmed up

 

[JanO]

I wouldn't take her off the eggs for fear that she'll abandon them. Just make sure she has food and water close by. She'll get up and take care of herself when she wants to.

 

[gigelus2k13]

OK, the Orp is in her second week of hatching.

Assuming that I'll get some live chicks at the end of this process, I'd like to hear some suggestions about how to accommodate them.

I have a small "upstairs" coop (accessible via a ramp) and a small enclosed run; my chicken are almost all day foraging in the backyard. Now, when the chicks will arrive, what should I do? Should I put a lip to the access to the ramp so that the chicks will stay in the coop? Will the chicken mom take care of them, leading them to feed and water, protecting them from the other chicken and warming them at night?

Or should I build some enclosure for the mom and chicks? In that case, will the mom want to get out of the enclosure, or should her be closed down together with the baby chicks, water and food?

I'm a little worried that hatching and tending baby chicks is not so simple...

BTW, when will I know if the eggs are viable or duds? And how to test for that?

Many thanks.

 

[JanO]

First of all, take a deep breath and relax. Mama hen knows exactly what she's doing; much more than you or I ever will.

Having said that I would let her alone to raise them without interference, but let me be more specific.

.Odds are, after she brings out the chicks approximately 2 days after they hatch, she will find a spot on the ground to protect them and keep them warm. Unless it's really cold I would let her. However, if it's chilly at night like it is here you can either set her up in the coop or give her her own space. I prefer to keep my mama's with the flock unless there's a really good reason to separate them. Mama hen will lead then to food and water, and in a few days will even take them to free range with her in the yard. It's really quite amazing to watch a hen with her chicks. They just know what to do, and they do it.

As far as the eggs are concerned don't mess with them. Some people say to candle them and toss the duds, but when a hen is on them I prefer to let nature run it's course. She will abandon the duds in favor of taking care of her chicks when she feels the time is right, (Approximately 2 days, sometimes 3) Remember, hens have been hatching eggs for centuries without any interference from us humans, so why fix it if it's not broken.

Oh, I want to add that mama hen will protect those chicks with a passion. Hens can become quite intimidating when they have babies to care for so don't be surprised if she only allows you to see them from a distance.

 

[gigelus2k13]

Hi Jan,

Thank you for the two sets of sound advice! Everyone in the family (except maybe my wife) is very excited at the thought of seeing this amazing process unfold under our eyes. We'll let nature run its course...

Cheers,

 

[gigelus2k13]

It's been 3 weeks today since I placed 5 eggs under the broody Orp and at least one is alive and well! Mommy covers most of the nest box and looks very, very aggressive so ll I could see so far is one little yellow-and-black chick peeping happily (God knows what mix of breeds is she/he). I think I have to go to the store and buy some started feed, because I was not really sure that the hatch will be successful and did not prepare for chicks at all.

I plan on leaving everybody in the coop, mommy, all the eventual chicks and the three other hens and see what's going to happen next. In case there's commotion, I could build a separate enclosure just for mommy and chicks.

Waiting for the other eggs to hatch...

 

[lavenderorpgirl]

Hope you get a great hatch!! We have 3 broody white silkies that are excellent moms and don't mind us fawning all over the babies! LOL!

 

[gigelus2k13]

First chick hatched Saturday, the second today (Monday). 48 hours apart and there's still an egg that may have a chance. I'm quite happy that the first try yielded two healthy baby chicks, one would have been too lonely.

The mother hen is very careful and protective. Hopefully she knows what to do, 'cos surely I do not.

BTW, is there a way to identify the breed based on how the baby chick looks like? Should I ask the lady who sold the fertile eggs what kinds of chicken she has?