What would you do? Eggs soon to hatch? Move her? Take the babies?

[Stephanie739]

Hello. New to chickens!

I just found out my neighbor has a hen who has been sitting on some eggs for a few weeks (he believes its been a few weeks), so I guess they should start hatching anytime. She is in a nesting box about 4 1/2 feet from the ground. The other hens have been laying eggs in her box and the hen has also been moving those under her too. My neighbor doesn't know what he should do. He knows the chicks will fall out if he doesn't do something. He also told me he really doesn't have room for many more chickens in his small coop, but I think he was sort of curious about the hatching process. I told him I would love to help raise the babies if he wanted and he said yes. I ordered some chicks from my pet chicken last week so I thought they would be about the same age so I could put them in the brooder together.

Last night I had a dream about the mother chicken missing her babies and sort of going a little nuts in the flock. Does this happen? I woke up thinking I didn't want to take the chicks after all, and would help him set a crate or other enclosure in the pen (thanks poster in earlier thread today!)

What would you do? I would love to raise a few more chickies. I'm sure he would be happy and can handle a few more. Should we move her now? I'm afraid of disturbing her.

Thanks!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Even though she will protest when you try to take the hatched chicks out from under her, she won't have lasting psychological effects. Most likely she will continue to sit on the other eggs for a while. The eggs that started incubation when she started sitting on them should hatch within just a few days of each other. Then she should be taken off the nest to break her boodiness since it is not good for her to sit on the nest for too long and she will go back to her old self. The other eggs that were under her should probably be thrown away since he does not want more chicks.

 

[Stephanie739]

Thank you

 

[Wolftalk]

if i were you i think id probobly take the eggs a day before they hatch and keep them warm untill they hatch (and make sure their humididty is right). just becuase i just took 4 chicks away from the hen and all 4 of them died. it was really sad. but i was in a similar situation as you, petsitting, and the hen kept killing all the chicks that hatched. so i took the remaining 5 eggs (i candled and dumped 2) and sucessfuly hatched 3 chicks. (in a cardbord box with a desk lamp and sponge) they are all healthy and happy! and im sure that it you put them in with your new flock that they would do just fine.

GOOD LUCK!!!!! having chickens is so much fun!