She's a momma!!! Now what?!

[farmerwannabe]

Our first experience with broody hens, and we've got a live chick today! woohoo!

I've pretty much left the whole process alone - figuring her instinct would do better without my neurotic newbie interference. She was sitting on two eggs, and I hadn't checked under her for a week and a half or more. I'm not sure where the other egg went, but today I heard chirping, so I looked. There was one egg shell and one live chick, and a lot of goopy, smelly mess. I hope this was okay, but I quickly moved mom and baby to a different box with clean bedding (her's looked and smelled so bad). The chick was still all wet (maybe from being hatched - or maybe from being in all that goopy mess...).

I'm hoping mom knows what to do now, and that I didn't mess anything up by moving them. Any advice (other than let mom do her thing?)

Thanks so much for all the great advice here. I don't write much, but I read all the time! (usually no need to write - my question's been asked and answered by others already

)

Happy Hatching!

 

[lovemychix]

I'm doing the same. I did have to make a seperate area for the momma and baby. My buttercups were trying to throw it around.

 

[farmerwannabe]

should I be concerned about the stench, and the fact that most of momma's chest feathers are gone, and she's wet?

 

[lovemychix]

They pull those feathers out for warmth. Believe that in the heat.

Just keep cold water next to them at all times.

 

[farmerwannabe]

Thanks. It sounds like things are going just fine. I'll let nature (and momma) handle things.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Sounds like one of the eggs went bad & popped, but the other one had a good live chick. It's fine you moved them to a cleaner location, Mama should be content to stay with her chick, as long as they're together they'll be fine. You can keep them separated from the flock for a while, they both can eat chick starter. As the baby gets older & sturdier you can let them free-range together with the flock.

Mama will want to return to her flock after about 4-8 weeks, the time varies depending on the hen and the voices only she can hear in her head. So you'll need a place to continue keeping the chick until it is old enough to join the adult flock.

And those bare patches of skin on Mama's chest are Nature's way of keeping the eggs moist as they are incubating, isn't that great? No need for hygrometers or humidifiers under a broody hen!