Should I Let Her Hatch Eggs?

[danielkbrantley]

Update: I got three day-old speckled sussex chicks last night and set them under li'l Miss Broody. This morning when I checked on her, I could hear them peeping around, so I gently lifted her enough to see their feet. A couple kind of fell out (3 inches or so, and slowly). Super cute! So...she's doing great as a mom thus far. So great that she pecked me like mad when I tried to access them. Hahaha...

All that said, I'm wondering now if I should have left the egg another few days, just in case the egg decided to hatch super late. It was late night on day 22 before I replaced the egg with the chicks, but a lady at work says it takes 30-31 days to hatch. I told her everywhere I've researched, it's 21 days. She swears 31 days is normal, that her hen takes that long. Is she right? Did I just possibly (accidentally) kill a developing chick that needed another 9-10 days?

 

[aart]

Update: I got three day-old speckled sussex chicks last night and set them under li'l Miss Broody. This morning when I checked on her, I could hear them peeping around, so I gently lifted her enough to see their feet. A couple kind of fell out (3 inches or so, and slowly). Super cute! So...she's doing great as a mom thus far. So great that she pecked me like mad when I tried to access them. Hahaha...

All that said, I'm wondering now if I should have left the egg another few days, just in case the egg decided to hatch super late. It was late night on day 22 before I replaced the egg with the chicks, but a lady at work says it takes 30-31 days to hatch. I told her everywhere I've researched, it's 21 days. She swears 31 days is normal, that her hen takes that long. Is she right? Did I just possibly (accidentally) kill a developing chick that needed another 9-10 days?

No, it's 21 days.
There's only one way to tell if that egg was developing and close to hatch, break it open and see.
If you don't want to know, throw it out and let it go.
Glad your broody accepted the chicks.

 

[danielkbrantley]

No, it's 21 days.
There's only one way to tell if that egg was developing and close to hatch, break it open and see.
If you don't want to know, throw it out and let it go.
Glad your broody accepted the chicks.

Whew! And I'm still trying to figure out if I want to open the egg. I don't want to be grossed out, but I am curious.

Now another question...that's right, they never end.

Right now, the mama and her babies are in the coop with the rest of the flock. However, they're isolated in a dog crate. When should I leave the crate open, allowing mom and babies to get out and about at their leisure? Should I keep them locked in for a few days? Weeks? Or leave it open right now? Mama's still just sitting around, letting them hang out under her. But they're starting to peek out and walk around a bit. SUPER CUTE!!! Anyway, when do I let mama guide them beyond her little confines? They other hens are black Australorps and buff Orpingtons, if that matters. There are 5 BAs and 2 BOs. Mama hen is some sort of easter egger. She was the lowest in the pecking order if that matters.

 

[danielkbrantley]

To answer my own question (for those who have the same one), I offer this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/475528/question-about-keeping-newly-hatched-chicks-with-flock

Sorry for the double-posting.

 

[danielkbrantley]

And now, because they're so cute it hurts...

This morning, a couple of them were running outside of the dog kennel. Painfully cute. One of my hens ran over to investigate but ignored them pretty quickly. Then the chicks jumped back through the bars to their mama.

This adoptive hen mama has a lot to teach us about loving creatures not born to us.

 

[danielkbrantley]

Update (mostly for my own records): Opened the dog run that mama and babies are in. No problems thus far, and Mama stumbled out of the coop a couple times. Looked kind of drunk. Definitely had broody legs. Hahaha... And finished fencing in my backyard, which will allow me to open the run and let the girls have more space when I'm home...without getting into the neighbor's yard.

 

[danielkbrantley]

Another update for myself. So the next time I'll have the answers (at least from my experience). Mama hen finally laid an egg today. It was actually a little bigger than her usual li'l greens. So a day shy of three weeks after giving her the chicks, she got back to laying. Not bad!

Now if I could just find a way to only let the chicks eat the chick feed. Sheesh! The chickens love it! Hahaha...

 

[aart]

Another update for myself. So the next time I'll have the answers (at least from my experience). Mama hen finally laid an egg today. It was actually a little bigger than her usual li'l greens. So a day shy of three weeks after giving her the chicks, she got back to laying. Not bad!

Now if I could just find a way to only let the chicks eat the chick feed. Sheesh! The chickens love it! Hahaha...

You could feed all the birds and all flock type feed.....or make a creep feed area(small/low door that only the chicks can get into).
Mama and chicks getting along well with the rest of the flock.


My Feeding Notes: I like to feed a flock raiser/grower/finisher 20% protein crumble to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.

 

[danielkbrantley]

You could feed all the birds and all flock type feed.....or make a creep feed area(small/low door that only the chicks can get into).
Mama and chicks getting along well with the rest of the flock.


My Feeding Notes: I like to feed a flock raiser/grower/finisher 20% protein crumble to all ages and genders, as non-layers(chicks, males and molting birds) do not need the extra calcium that is in layer feed and chicks and molters can use the extra protein. Makes life much simpler to store and distribute one type of chow that everyone can eat. I do grind up the crumbles (in the blender) for the chicks for the first week or so.

The higher protein crumble also offsets the 8% protein scratch grains and other kitchen/garden scraps I like to offer. I adjust the amounts of other feeds to get the protein levels desired with varying situations.

Calcium should be available at all times for the layers, I use oyster shell mixed with rinsed, dried, crushed chicken egg shells in a separate container.

Animal protein (mealworms, a little cheese - beware the salt content, meat scraps) is provided during molting and if I see any feather eating.

Thanks! I've never used all feed. May give it a try. For now, I'm setting the chick's feed right outside of the run. They can still fit through the openings in the gate and the big girls can't, so they can at least eat their fill. Ha! But I'm sure that will change soon. My babies are getting all grown up...

 

[danielkbrantley]

Okay - have an immediate situation I need remedied. It is in three parts.

Part 1: As this thread shows, I have a hen that went broody a while back. I let her sit and then swapped three day-old chicks out for the egg at night. She'd sat consistently for three weeks, so I knew she was serious.

Well, today I go to get eggs around noon, and she's sitting on the nesting box. She acts all hissy at me, won't let me near her to get the eggs. I figure no biggie. Go back in and get on with life. Just went back out there - three-plus hours later. She's still on the eggs, acting mean toward me. I picked her up, swooped up the eggs, and put her back on the wooden egg we leave in there.

Part 2: Yesterday, I hatched out 11 chicks. So they're a day old - just right for the swap.

Part 3: (this is where the question comes) - Should I do a swap tonight? Mama isn't doing much caring for the other chicks now, as they're 5 or 6 weeks old and doing their own thing most of the time. So she would be available to care for the chick I stuff under her. If I do that and it succeeds, would the mama keep laying eggs? She actually laid one today. What I'm wanting to avoid is having her go broody another three weeks. So...better to give her a chick OR...pull her out of the coop and throw her out in the rain with the rest of the girls? I'm willing to do that and even close the coop so she can't get in until I want her in. It's easy to put a pile o' food outside that isn't in the weather.

HELP!