we have chick-peas! how long does mom stay on her chicks?

[sillyheadsfarm]

i finally decided to get our girl off her "dud" eggs but she would not move, so i reached under her to find a cracked empty eggshell

...and i hear peeping! she didn't leave her nest at all yesterday, and she hasn't been off yet today (she usually gets off at least once a day for about 10 minutes to eat, drink, stretch and bathe). i've given her food and she's eating while sitting on her chicks. my question, when would you estimate that she will get up and move around, how many days usually does mom stay on her new hatchlings?

 

[msmolly]

i finally decided to get our girl off her "dud" eggs but she would not move, so i reached under her to find a cracked empty eggshell

...and i hear peeping! she didn't leave her nest at all yesterday, and she hasn't been off yet today (she usually gets off at least once a day for about 10 minutes to eat, drink, stretch and bathe). i've given her food and she's eating while sitting on her chicks. my question, when would you estimate that she will get up and move around, how many days usually does mom stay on her new hatchlings?

Congratulations!! So glad you didn't have to crack one open! This year and last year, my hens sat on the new chicks for about 36 - 48 hours till they took them walking. Don't know when exactly the last one hatched, so its hard to tell. But last year when they nested out side the pen, a coon(or some thing) got one of the babies the very first night. There were 4 under her when we went to bed, and only 3 under her in the morning. So the second night (about 36 hours after they hatched) we forcibly moved her and the chicks-(under cover of darkness) into the pen, tucked into a corner, onto a pile of straw. She was perfectly happy ( well not at first) with the new arrangement, and continued to bring the chicks back into the pen each night after they started free ranging. Watch out though, the mothers will try to roost the babies in a tree at night as early as 5 days. She will want to get them off the ground and up to safety at night, so if you don't have a roost for her in a pen or safe area around you, she will take them somewhere. Attached is a picture of my hen with the peeps under her on the roost. This is up about 9-10 ft.(inside a pen) She had them fly up there at 7 days, and if my son and I had not stepped in, to help a couple of them up- I don't think she would have shown any mercy.


WARNING****
Not all Peahens are good mothers and some times need a little help(or a lot) My hen that WAS raised by a mother peahen, was /is a great mother. But the hen that was hatched in an incubator,(and didn't have a mommy

raise her) had no clue- how to care for her chicks. We really had to keep an eagle eye on the situation- to ensure she let the peeps eat and drink etc... But she got the hang of it eventualy. Good luck, and Show us pictures!!!

 

[msmolly]

"How long before the mother peahen gets off the Chicks" question---- Come to think of it, my answer could be off by a a couple days -as to when she took them walking. She may not have walked them till day 4- but I really can't remember clearly. She let us see them at 36-48 hours and they were peeking out, but this year doesn't count as it was Soooo... cold and rainy, she couldn't have taken them walking earlier. Just don't want you to be alarmed if they're not charging around tomorrow! Last year is already a faint and misty memory.
Not sure this is recommended, but, I couldn't help myself.... Not sure if one of the eggs was still unhatched, I simply lifted the hen part way up, by her tail to see under her. Then 6 hours later, afraid she had hurt one of the chicks, I had to lift again. Not the best protocol, but some times, "ya just gotta do what ya gotta do". All was well and she was only a little upset with me.

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

wow, so interesting. i have been thinking how instinct is being lost through the incubation breeding process, and your experience and thesis hit it head on. until mom comes out with her chicks, my husband and i are taking turns with night patrol, ugh! she is in a double fenced enclosure in the chicken coup, but there is no roof. we spent a day refencing to close up any gaps. but hopefully tomorrow she will bring them out, this will be day 2 if they hatched yesterday, then we will coax them into the enclosed pen which is completely protected and has several roosting perches. thank you for the heads up on the mothering techniques. we got her and her mate from someone on cl so i don't know her background as a mother, so the heads up helps me for quite the future days ahead ~kat

 

[sillyheadsfarm]

found mom this morning out from her hatching nest with her babies under her, in the rain so i coaxed them all into the safe pen. 6 babies out of 6 eggs

!!! now it's a matter of her settling into this new area that shes not too pleased with. she doesn't like the nest or housing that we made for her months ago. she prefers a wet corner where we don't have tarped, ugh, there's always something! but at least they're all safe, she will have to figure out what she wants to do at this point, and we can go back to sleeping in our warm bed!