Question about baby chicks and their mommas.

[newbie donna]

I've had my chickens for almost a year now. They all survived chickhood and are robustly healthy adults. Earlier today, we heard a mysterious peeping sound and after tracking it down, we discovered a lone baby chick. Further searching found a secret hiding place with about a dozen eggs and a hen sitting atop. Now, I'm fairly competent with my adult birds but, I have some questions about the babies.

If I were to allow the mother hen to take care of them, do I need to provide special food for them? My hens are on layer feed. I don't see how a mother could feed that to her babies. Are hens good mothers? Can I trust them to raise the babies? I only have one roo and the rest are hens. Will they be kind to the babies? How would chickens do it if they were in the wild?

The only time I had a chicken die was the day after delivery from the hatchery. I think it was stressed from the trip. I want them to be happy, healthy babies.

I'm sooooo clueless!

 

[chicky_mommy]

Put Chick starter in dish under an milk crate (if your local feed store carries chick dishes you can use them). Another option is to seperate the mother and her babies from the rest of your flock until the babies are about 6weeks old and feed both babies and mamma chick starter.

Hens who hatch a brood are VERY good at tending their broods, usually other hens don't care too much about babies that arent theirs.

Sometimes roosters can cause trouble to little ones if this seems to happen then you can always seperate him until the babies are bigger...

 

[newbie donna]

Thank you Chicky Mom. The one I found I now have set up under a heat lamp in the house. It still gets quite chilly here and I'm wondering if momma can keep it warm enough. Since it's been out of the coop for a few hours, can I put it back with its mom? Will she still care for it now?

 

[Judy]

Feed the mama and babies starter or grower or flock raiser -- not layer. The mama doesn't need the clacium anyway while she is raising the babies. Mine are all together so I feed everybody grower, with oyster shell on the side, have been for months. My egg shells are fine.

In the wild, the mama will hatch chicks in hiding then lead them back to the flock at a fw days old. Usually the roo either ignores them or helps out, though anything is possible. The other hens may give the chicks a hard time but usually the mama guards them closely and goes after any hen that bothers the chicks.

I've watched I think 5 broodies raise their chicks in with the flock, with roos present. Have not lost a chick to another chicken.

Here's some reading on broodies

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

 

[Judy]

Quote:
She will keep it plenty warm even in winter, and she should accept it fine for several days. I'd put the chick back today after dark, myself. They are healthier raised by a mama.

 

[madrona]

My broody hen was a perfectly dedicated mom to her three chicks for about one month. Then with no warning, she turned on the chicks and tried to kill one after another. The flock is a peaceful one, with a large yard and house, and are let out to free-range for half of every day, so it wasn't an issue of crowding stress. I had to remove the chicks to a separate pen for a few weeks. One of them had to be isolated while its wounds healed! Once they were bigger, she quit trying to attack them and just ignored them, and they were able to rejoin the flock without further problems. So I guess the moral of the story is, keep an eye on the mama in case she turns psycho!

 

[newbie donna]

One more question and hopefully I'll be all good. The hen has made her nest in a place where the chick will have a hard, if not impossible, time getting out and on the ground. It's elevated with no spare room around it. Momma is still sitting on other eggs. How can I get the food to the chick without moving the nest down to the ground? My hen is rather disgruntled anytime we go to close to her while she's sitting. I imagine she will be upset if I move the nest.

I'm sincerely sorry I'm so uninformed but, I wasn't expecting this surprise delivery! I just want to give the little guys a good shot at a wonderful life.

 

[Judy]

Please don't apologize. It's OK, really.

Chicks used to hatch in barn hay lofts all the time and fly down afte a day or two. I'm sure there were injuries at times, but I'll bet your nest is not nearly that high.

Usually the mama will not tolerate being moved while sitting very well at all. But once they have hatched, or even mostly hatched, she won't leave those chicks so she will accept wherever her chicks are.

Usually mama sits on the eggs for about 24 hours after the first one hatches. Remember the yolk is all the food the chick needs for 48 hours or more. When it's time for her chicks to eat, she will take them to food, even if it means abandoning the rest of the eggs. I have actually moved two of them DURING the hatch. Not something I'd recommend, but I got away with it, they all hatched.

 

[chicky_mommy]

I'd put the chick back ASAP, the mother hen will make sure he has enough food and water even if it means leaving her un hatched chicks for a time, if she leaves them you may use that as an oppertunity to move the nest to the ground but I wouldn't. Mamma's know how to tend their young, and don't be sorry thats why this forum exists is to ask questions on topics you don't have enough info on for your comfort.