question about a hen, her chick and unhatched eggs!

[Big Mama K]

I have a hen that is sitting on her eggs and another hen's who quit sitting. Well then hen who quit sitting eggs were due this week, I got two chicks out of that deal. Unfortunately one of the chickens is going to have to be put down.

But the question is do i take away the chick so she will continue sitting on her eggs for roughly a week. She is torn between her adopted chick and her unhatched eggs! I know that the chick can survive with out her but the eggs will not and they are so close to hatching! I have an incubator but have never had good luck with it!! But this morning she got off her nest and showed the chick how to eat and drink! I put the chick back into the nesting box to she if she would follow it back in there. She did and settled back down on her eggs! But you can tell she is upset! She wants to sit on her eggs, sometimes getting irritated at the chick but if it hops out she leaves her eggs for it! I hate to take her baby away but no with out her sitting on the eggs they will not make it! They reasonable think to do it remove the chick and see if she continues to sit on her eggs and finish hatching them. But I am worried if I take her chick away she will be upset and not finish sitting. So then I would giver her baby back but I a scared she will reject it after I remove it!

So, do I what and see what happens, take care of the chick for a week(approximately) and let her finish her batch of eggs or try again to incubate the eggs the rest of the way and let her keep the chick!

I don't think she will be able to tend to the chick and her eggs...chick or eggs??? That is the question!

Sorry about my rambling, I am just worried about making the wrong decision because this is my second time hatching eggs and the first didn't end happy

 

[lisa lisk]

hhhmmm That is a hard one, I do not know what I would do??? If she does come off of the nest before the eggs hatch I would put them in the bator. What kind do you have? You need to have water in the bottom of the bator. and set the temp at 99 you should not have any problems. If you have a styrofoam bator with a wafer, Turn it on now. Get it ready to go incase. It could take a day to get the temp to hold at 99.
Let me know I can help you with the bator if you go that way.. lisa

 

[Oven Ready]

I would be tempted to look after the chick, at least that way you are assured of one new chicken.
She'll complain, but not for long - take it away at night so she can't search for it.

Once the 'new' chicks are two days old try to put the original back in with her (at night again) - she might take it she might not. You need to wait until the new ones can follow the 'old' one because at a week old it won't want to stay in the box. Keep food/water available in or very near the box to try to stop it wandering too far.

We often mix up chicks and mothers, to spread the load. A week of difference is about as much as we've ever done, sometimes they take to it, sometimes not. At the moment we have three girls sharing eleven chicks. I'm sure they have no idea whose is whose, all eleven will scoot over to whichever hen makes the "I've found some food - come and get it" noise and none of the girls feels any need to sleep with the chicks, they all huddle together by themselves.

good luck.

 

[Big Mama K]

Lisa,

I know that I can take care of the chick and it can survive with out its Momma! But the eggs won't hatch with out her sitting on them! I have a styrofoam Hova Bator, I basically know how to do it. But I am new at this whole chicken thing. My chickens got gave to me when a family member moved to Texas back in June. Later in June I had a brooding hen sitting on one egg she made it to day 21 and quit!! So I but it in the bator, which has never had luck with successful hatching chicks, figured I could finish it out in there. Well it pipped but never finished the job dying in the eggs. From the research I did I think it is because of the humidity. But I have order a hydrometer yet. So I am worried if I but the eggs in the bator I won't be successful! But if I can get the hen to finish the job we will have a better chance at more chicks. Then I could reintroduce her chick back into the nest.

I know that I should take her chick and see if she will finish sitting on her eggs but it breaks my heart to take her baby!! But the unborn chicks will benefit from it!

I went ahead and plugged my bator in this morning even though I don' want to use it!! Not at least until I can read up on using them and buy a hydrometer!!

Ugh...

 

[Big Mama K]

Oven Ready...your post just showed up!! I think I am going to keep watching her she is she can manage the chick and her eggs. If not I have a box ready to put it in. I was wondering ifI took the chick if night would be better then the day! I figured that when I try to put the chick back in a few days to a week it needed to be during the night too! Plus the new chicks have to be able to keep up with the old one! Thanks for the advice!! I hope that she takes it back but if not I am hoping that she has more than one chick...I can always take at least one new chick to add for company to the older one!!

 

[lisa lisk]

Hi How are things today?

I have not had time to get on the computer......... Lisa

 

[Big Mama K]

Lisa,

The chick passed this morning! I made the mistake of leaving it in with the Momma! I am assuming that after it tucked under her to sleep for the night between the weight of her and the other eggs in the way the poor thing cold not get it self out! I found it this morning under her and surrounded by eggs! I felt awful!! I put it in the brooder box thinking maybe it would pull through but it didn't. I held if for awhile and it just peeped and peeped. I went to get my husband to put it done and when i came back the little thing passed on it's own! But today also bought new excitement. I don't know if a egg started pipping or if the got cracked some how but my hen was pecking it! I took it out and it was just a chirping. My husband peeled off the egg shell and we put it in the brooder box. I was worried because I didn't think that the were due till early next week but the yolk had been absorbed! It looked really weak but seems to be doing great now! I have both chicks in the brooder box and Momma Moe is still sitting on the other eggs! I am trying to post a pic.

 

[Big Mama K]

 

[lisa lisk]

Hi I have not had time to get online...How are things now? All my criters are doing good.