Should I be present when broody mama's chicks hatch?

[iwiw60]

Sure enough, the first baby hatched while I was at work. This one looks like Click and Clack, my six-week-olds, which we think are Araucana/Blue Orpington crosses. There was one blue egg among the clutch. So far so good!

Wheee!! And so so adorable!! That broody of yours is one great mama! In the pic you can see her total attentiveness to her surroundings...you've definitely got a keeper mom!! Good luck and let us know when you get more!!

 

[goodb]

is that an easter egger momma?

 

[talkingriver]

This morning I was able to discern four chicks as they popped in and out from under mom. And now I have my first post-hatch question: Is it okay that Slipper sometimes lightly pecks them, or at least one of them? She's not hurting it, but she pecks at its beak and toes on occasion, one here, one there. Just lightly. Is she stimulating it in some way, or showing dislike? It startles the chick a bit. Other than this she's calm, sitting faithfully, and attentive.

 

[talkingriver]

Goodb, she's an Araucana. Her brood comprises a variety of breeds with a Blue Orpington rooster -- but all the chicks hatched from this roo (it's my sister's, and they've hatched a dozen or more over there) look pretty much like dad, mostly black! Talk about a strong gene pool.

 

[iwiw60]

This morning I was able to discern four chicks as they popped in and out from under mom. And now I have my first post-hatch question: Is it okay that Slipper sometimes lightly pecks them, or at least one of them? She's not hurting it, but she pecks at its beak and toes on occasion, one here, one there. Just lightly. Is she stimulating it in some way, or showing dislike? It startles the chick a bit. Other than this she's calm, sitting faithfully, and attentive.

Well, I'm no expert but I well imagine she is actually "teaching" them things. (peck) "No...I told you no straying in that direction!" type of thing. Be sure to post pics as they progress...just too darn cute!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes a hen will discipline them by pecking. There is a difference I a hen trying tot kill or harm her chick and just her telling it to not go far because that big monster over their might get you.

 

[talkingriver]

Here are two of the four. She's just great with them, letting them bumble about and peck at her beak and eyes etc. -- she doesn't care. The last two eggs are still under her; I'm thinking they weren't viable. I'm told she'll push them out of the nest when she feels they won't hatch? This is day 23. Is there a point at which I should remove them if she doesn't?

I put a lip at the doorway of the "cube," so the chicks won't fall out. The cube is about 8" off the ground, up on a pallet. I have made a ramp they can use when they finally come out and walk around the run with mom. (Melamine shelf covered with a piece of a yoga mat, so their little feets will grip it.) But when should I take the lip off? The cube is plenty big enough for them to run around for a while, and the feed and water are in it.

One cool thing I noticed was that the two eggshells that were under her (and I guess she ate the other two after hatching) were very neatly tucked one half into the other, like a tight little bowl.

I had to clean up a couple of gargantuan poops that she'd laid at the outer edge of her nest rather than hop over the lip and leave the chicks. Oy, what a smell, eh?

One of the chicks has fuzzy legs and feet! That means it has a Brahma mama. I surely hope that one's a female.

More as it happens!.

 

[iwiw60]

Here are two of the four. She's just great with them, letting them bumble about and peck at her beak and eyes etc. -- she doesn't care. The last two eggs are still under her; I'm thinking they weren't viable. I'm told she'll push them out of the nest when she feels they won't hatch? This is day 23. Is there a point at which I should remove them if she doesn't?

I put a lip at the doorway of the "cube," so the chicks won't fall out. The cube is about 8" off the ground, up on a pallet. I have made a ramp they can use when they finally come out and walk around the run with mom. (Melamine shelf covered with a piece of a yoga mat, so their little feets will grip it.) But when should I take the lip off? The cube is plenty big enough for them to run around for a while, and the feed and water are in it.

One cool thing I noticed was that the two eggshells that were under her (and I guess she ate the other two after hatching) were very neatly tucked one half into the other, like a tight little bowl.

I had to clean up a couple of gargantuan poops that she'd laid at the outer edge of her nest rather than hop over the lip and leave the chicks. Oy, what a smell, eh?

One of the chicks has fuzzy legs and feet! That means it has a Brahma mama. I surely hope that one's a female.

More as it happens!.

You have one GREAT broody there for sure...take good care of her! Those last two eggs she will push off to the side, but if she doesn't I would say give it 1-2 more days and then dispose of them yourself. As for the lip at the doorway...just leave it there. When mama says "hey kids, let's go exploring today!" they'll just jump right over it. When she does do that that will be your chance to give her area a good cleaning and freshening up, too. Be sure to post pics as they grow up...happens so fast!!

 

[talkingriver]

Thanks again, iwiw60. My concern was that the lip was too high for them to get out in the first place. I'm sure I can rig something and get the ramp in place too. Thank goodness it's the weekend and I can spend more time out there watching them. Work has gotten extra boring with all this good stuff happening at home.

 

[talkingriver]

Just an update -- Everybody's doing fine! Slipper brought them outside the "cube" on the third day, and not long after that I had the pen extension completed so they could go out on the grass in a safe area. After being at the bottom of the pecking order, Slipper is the happiest hen in the yard.

The last two eggs never hatched, and when I picked them up they were light, as though they had dried up inside. That's about the hatch rate we expected. What we have are two from Cuckoo Marans, one from a Light Brahma, and one from an unknown brown egg layer. The black coloring from the Blue Orpington rooster is obviously dominant.

Here's one of my Black Sex Links, looking at them through the fence, SURE they're getting something that SHE is missing out on.

Cheers!