LadyPeckington
In the Brooder
- Nov 25, 2017
- 4
- 4
- 29
Hi all,
Two of my silkies have hatched some chicks just a couple of days apart, Silkie 1 (Kylo Hen) hatched 4 chicks on Christmas day, and Silkie 2 (Chewie) hatched 11 (!!!) a couple of days later.
I brough both hens and all chicks into the house as it is winter and I was worried they'd be too cold outside. Also to keep them seperate from the other chooks. Kylo came in first and a few days later I brought in Chewie. I had them in an old childrens playhouse with a wire divider down the middle so they could all see each other. They seemed ok with this set up.
I tried removing the divider today and the silkies started fighting each other. They used to be good friends before the chicks hatched. The chicks all got muddled up in the fight and by the time I got the divider back in Kylo now has 3 on her side and Chewie has the rest. So my hope that they would get on and raise all the chicks between them doesn't look like it is going to pan out.
I'm trying to get another hutch over the next couple of days to move one of the silkies and her chicks into since half a playhouse is not going to be big enough for them once the chicks grow a bit bigger but I was wondering if I should try and split the chicks more equally betwenn the girls, say give one 7 and one 8 rather than the 4:11 (or 3:12) spilt they currently have - will the hens/chicks notice or care?
Any other advice also gladly received - these are my first chicks and the hatches were somewhat unexpected as I didn't think the eggs the girls were sat on were actually fertile!
Two of my silkies have hatched some chicks just a couple of days apart, Silkie 1 (Kylo Hen) hatched 4 chicks on Christmas day, and Silkie 2 (Chewie) hatched 11 (!!!) a couple of days later.
I brough both hens and all chicks into the house as it is winter and I was worried they'd be too cold outside. Also to keep them seperate from the other chooks. Kylo came in first and a few days later I brought in Chewie. I had them in an old childrens playhouse with a wire divider down the middle so they could all see each other. They seemed ok with this set up.
I tried removing the divider today and the silkies started fighting each other. They used to be good friends before the chicks hatched. The chicks all got muddled up in the fight and by the time I got the divider back in Kylo now has 3 on her side and Chewie has the rest. So my hope that they would get on and raise all the chicks between them doesn't look like it is going to pan out.
I'm trying to get another hutch over the next couple of days to move one of the silkies and her chicks into since half a playhouse is not going to be big enough for them once the chicks grow a bit bigger but I was wondering if I should try and split the chicks more equally betwenn the girls, say give one 7 and one 8 rather than the 4:11 (or 3:12) spilt they currently have - will the hens/chicks notice or care?
Any other advice also gladly received - these are my first chicks and the hatches were somewhat unexpected as I didn't think the eggs the girls were sat on were actually fertile!
congrats on the chicks. I think you should try to divide the chicks evenly when the mothers are sleeping, in the day if the hens notice the difference put the chicks back as they were or at least a few of them.
