What Happened? :(

[TC]

We had our first chick hatching yesterday.. we let it be because we wanted the mamma to raise the babies. This morning we go out and the other chickens are carrying around a now dead chck and they are fighting over it. Did mamma lose interest or did the other ones over power her grumpyness? Is this normal? And to top it off there were 4 eggs now there is just 1, 2 disappeared. Please dont tell me they ate them!!! HELP

 

[texasgal]

i'm so sorry ...

I hope someone can answer for you.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Not sure what happened to the eggs, but the Broody and her baby should have been in a separate place where the other hens could not get to it. I usually create a place within the regular yard, so the other hens have time to get used to the babies by seeing them everyday.

What I do is put the broody and nest in a large dog crate with food and water and close the door. They will hold their poo and usually only poop once a day. If they do it in the crate it is usually right by the door and is easy to clean right up. Or, I'll let Mama out to do her business. Sometimes they refuse to leave the nest.

Once the babies hatch I leave them in there with Mama until the babies are feathered out and can go into a baby yard (can be a small area near to the other hens that is secure) by themselves. Mama is usually ready by then to join the rest of the flock.

There may be instances where the mama and babies co-existed with the rest of the flock but it is a big risk. My chickens love to catch mice and lizards. They play chicken football and race all around with the poor thing as the prized possession. That is probably what happened with your chick.

I am so sorry. What a sad thing to happen to your first baby.

Don't be discouraged.

 

[Madison Farms]

TC- sorry to hear about your chick.

I have a mama & babies out with the flock and we just watched them carefully. We had to correct one of our little roosters with a good

with the rake. And since then they've been ok. So, its possible but like Patchesnposies its a big risk. You really have to know your flock's personality.


I'm really sorry?

 

[TC]

Wow.. I always just figured that the mamma would have just taken care of them. My DH is quite discouraged and never thought chickens could be so barbaric. I will try to talk himinto making a seperate nursery off to the side so this does not happen again. we are gonna put the other egg in the incubator to see if we cant get him to live. poor guy is gonna be so lonely.. there are 2 other eggs that just disappeared. I so hope that they didn't eat the eggs to get to the chicks.

I guess its time to re think our set up.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Quote:
It is discouraging.

I learned this same lesson the hard way, too. We had a persistent broody hen who really wanted to sit a nest. Unfortunately, at the time, we had no roosters.

So we decided to put some fertile duck eggs under her. We also thought that the Mama, who was so ferocious in protecting her nest, would fend off any hen that tried to mess with her babies once they hatched.

I guess there were too many of them, because between the time that my son ran in to tell us that the duckling had hatched and we got out there the other hens had that (dead) baby and were running around playing keep away with it.

I was so bummed, MAD, and disgusted!

Figure out a new set up and try again. It is a wonderful, beautiful, experience when it goes right. I never get over the sweetness of a new chick tucked under its Mama's wing.

 

[TC]

Would it be wise to try to incubate the last remaining egg? Could it have died from being bounced around and such? It should go todayish or so.. but I don't know if it will work. What do ya'll think?

 

[Patchesnposies]

It never hurts to try. Have you candled it to see if there is movement in the egg? Hens will turn the eggs every 10-15 minutes, about a 100 times a day. Unless they were rolled about really roughly, I'd think they were okay.

Do you have an incubator set up and temp adjusted already? Is the broody done with the job and not willing to sit on this egg?

 

[TC]

Yeah. shes jnot setting onthe egg anymore.. it wasn't as warm as it could have been and she wasnt' even at the entrace of the barn growling at me anymore. I don't have an incubator set up but it is warming up as we speak. I just dont want him to go the way the other guy did. Shoot, Idon't even knowwhat happened to the other 2 eggs that were in there. I only have 1 of 4 left!!

 

[Patchesnposies]

If you haven't stuck the egg somewhere to get warm yet, one idea is to stick it in your bra against your skin until the bator is up to temperature. Or tuck your shirt in and put the egg in there against your skin.

It may have gotten cold and died, though. Depending on how long it was unattended. Did you try candling it?