Questions about hen hatching chicks...

[Silkie fluff butts]

We decided to let our broody girl hatch some eggs. We are first timers! We added eggs as they were laid over 4 days. Then, on the 8th day, another hen snuck one in! We have 3 Salmon Faverolle hens, one SF rooster, and 2 Spekled Sussex hens.

Do hens usually stay until the last is hatched?
Should I have an incubator on hand just in case?
How do handle feeding if they stay with the flock? Or should I keep them seperate?

 

[Perris]

Do hens usually stay until the last is hatched?

No. They have to attend to those that have hatched, who can last a couple of days but then need food and water, so she will take those that have hatched and leave the nest.

Having added eggs daily you are going to face some heartache with a staggered hatch. When did she start sitting? Can you identify the egg added on the 8th day? if so, I would remove that asap and discard it.

My advice is to read up as much as you can on the relevant articles and threads, e.g. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks.65989/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/natural-breeding-thread.1653246/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread.457488/

worry about feeding them after they hatch, if they do (don't count your chickens before they hatch).

 

[Debbie292d]

We decided to let our broody girl hatch some eggs. We are first timers! We added eggs as they were laid over 4 days. Then, on the 8th day, another hen snuck one in! We have 3 Salmon Faverolle hens, one SF rooster, and 2 Spekled Sussex hens.

Do hens usually stay until the last is hatched?
Should I have an incubator on hand just in case?
How do handle feeding if they stay with the flock? Or should I keep them seperate?

What many do is switch all the feed to an all-flock. That way the chicks and adults can have it and you don't need to try feed them something different. The adults can also have chick crumbles if you have some of that. It's just easier if all the feed is the same in all feeders. The layers will need oyster shell but keep that out of the reach of the chicks.

When we used to let hens hatch, they stayed in the coop with all of the other chickens. The other hens learn fast to stay away, and our roosters actually helped.

Perris is right about that late egg though. You'll either have to incubate it or toss it as she'll never stay sitting on it after the others hatch.

 

[BDutch]

What many do is switch all the feed to an all-flock. That way the chicks and adults can have it and you don't need to try feed them something different.

Not sure this a good advice. They don’t sell all flock where I live. But I thought the all flock is for a mixed flock with adult chickens including roosters and older hens with long periods of not laying.

Newly hatched chicks need chick crumble. Or small chick pellets. The adults can eat these too without any problems as long as you have oyster shell and grit on the side.
The mothers teach the chicks what to eat. Trust the mothers in that.

Mark the good eggs. Take away new eggs. And as Perris advices: read a lot. There is not one solution for everyone.

My experience is that having 2 broodies in one nest is okay. But if other hens are disturbing the broodies , to lay an extra egg in the nest its better to separate them. The broodies cant be locked in. They need space to go out for food, water, exercise and a sand bath once a day.

 

[Debbie292d]

Not sure this a good advice. They don’t sell all flock where I live. But I thought the all flock is for a mixed flock with adult chickens including roosters and older hens with long periods of not laying.

If you compared all-flock to chick crumbles, it's nearly identical, more protein, less calcium.

This is the version we use for all of our silkies.

Up to laying age because there's not enough calcium in it for layers. Thus, the oyster shell is provided for layers, in a separate feeder.

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

YOU ALL ARE AWESOME! Thank you so much for your advice! the eggs were laid between 3/7 and 3/15. We candled them a few days ago and all but one are growing and wiggling around. So cool to see! I think'll I'll get hold of an incubator for that last one, since I can see it's alive and growiing. Our coop has a 3×6 table with rooting bats on top and nest boxes inserted underneath. We'll be removing the nest boxes (which are bottomless and can be easily lifted out) using hwc panels to block the area off for mama and babies. They'll have plenty of undisturbed space until the chicks are beg enough to let out with the flock.

About identifying the eggs, oddly, 2 of my Faverolles lay brown eggs that look identicle to the Sussex, but one lays a larger cream colored egg. I don't know who laid the last one, but I do know which ine it is.

Lol, my next dilema is is when to find homes, since we cant keep all of them. Some will be Faverolle/Spekled Sussex and some full Faverolle. Faverolle boys get balck feathering coming in at 3 weeks, but not the Sussex. I wonder if that color trait is a dominant gene??? Otherwise, I've never checked the sex of a chick before.