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- #11
I would go ahead and pick them up when the opportunity arises. Continue trying to hand feed them and they might warm up to you. Eventually, she’ll spend less time with them. I thought about splitting them up also just to sex them but I can’t do that to mama since she sat on those eggs for 3 weeks so devotedly. I was a first time mom like her before and I so understand those mama bear instincts.That’s my complaint as well. She literally picks the food from my hand and drops it on the floor for them. She won’t let them get close to me.I kinda want to split them up so I can show them I’m not a threat but don’t know how that will go.
I actually just picked up one who had pasty butt while it peeped its little head off for several minutes. Thank goodness I did since it’s vent was blocked. She did nothing to me and let me pick up her other babies. Then I did some feather sexing though I got them mixed up at some point since I have 6 Speckled Sussexes all running around really fast. I think the babies are more scared than she is and once they act scared, she ushers them into a corner.
But I also need more eggs! In the last month, I went from 5 laying to 2 laying...one died, one went broody and one just decided to stop laying.
