When to slip chick under broody hen during hatching?

[NNations]

I have learnt that the chicks cannot get up the ramp! They can get down it no problem. It's 1 ft off the ground.
They spend all day outside now with mum, still sheltering under her for most of the day. But when it comes time for bed, mum goes up the ramp and in the house, gets comfy and calls the chicks up, and they just sit there on the ground and peep at the top of their lungs!! Until I come along and pick them up and put them at the top of the ramp! They run happily in the house and under mumma! I may have to make some modifications to it today, more cross threads for their feet to grip on to.

Thanks for the info!! Good luck!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Heres a little picture of my fuzzy flock!


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I like this pic, all you can see are 2 fuzzy bottoms!!

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Your babes and mum are beautiful!

The feed you are using looks like scratch, what is it?

 

[L1sa]

Your babes and mum are beautiful!

The feed you are using looks like scratch, what is it?

Thank you. They're doing really well.

It's a poultry blend that my local feed store makes up themselves, it's not completely scratch it's ground slightly so it's easier for them to digest, usually I only put it in there for mum, but she's been feeding the babies it too and ignoring the chick starter!

 

[L1sa]

Thanks for the info!! Good luck!

One of the chicks (Lavender) has learned to use the ramp! At 9 days old. Yayyy!!! I didn't make any modifications to it in the end.
And just a bit of chick behaviour I've noticed, the 1 chick she actually hatched is the one whose using the ramp. That chick is with mum at all times, watching and learning all the time, the others still follow mum but not as diligently as little Lavender. Just thought that was interesting behaviour.

 

[NNations]

Well, I would remove the Monday hatching chick... and slip them ALL under her when the last one has hatched.

My oldest successful adoption was 6 days old. Yes they need to be under mum hearing her clucks and she learns their peeps. In this way they learn how to listen to and follow her and recognize her voice. The older the chicks get, if they have been under a lamp... they may not realize mom is the warm safe place. The older chicks are already adventuring out on their own and have zero interest in listening to a hen. But have carried out dozens of successful adoptions.

For future reference... If you'r gonna let a hen sit... collect ALL the eggs you want her to hatch and place under her at one time. In nature, staggered hatches are a death sentence for either the early or late hatchers depending on what mums' instincts tell her. But the early hatching may make her leave the nest to search out food for her babies. Or she stay stuck to the nest and the early hatcher starve/dehydrate. She usually stays stuck to the nest for a couple days letting hatch finish up. I place feed and water nearby so chicks and mom can access safely, collecting at nigh because chickens don't eat in the dark and rats do.

If you take the first one and the second one doesn't hatch you can still put the little's under her and remove the unhatched one. Adding in other chicks once hatch has taken place and mom has them out of the box would not be recommended in my experience.

In regards to eggs getting broke... earlier hatching CHICKS inside my incubator have NEVER cracked an egg... despite the heavy amount of soccer ball that sometimes gets played in there. It's always scary though... wondering how eggs that just got knocked to kingdom come will still be able to pip the right location and not be twisted!

Yes, I do adoptions early in the dark evening, giving as many hours as possible for her to hear and feel them moving under her. Tuck every one in keep it dark and listen for activity. I come back out a couple times to make sure no one accidentally got out and can't find their way back under mom. I have found many a cold, barely living chicks. I come out EARLY in the morning to double check this, before and after letting the flock out of the coop. Blocking so the young chicks can't get out of the box the first day can help this. If another flock member causes chaos just out of curiosity chicks are quickly disoriented and mom has to decide to go for the other chick or stay with the ones under her. Very often she stays where she is... at least at first. Broody's are not without challenge. But how special it is to see them leading their little families around!

Happy hatching!

Since you’ve done several adoptions I wanted to ask you if it’s possible to get your mother hen to adopt 2 more chicks after the hatching is done or will she see them as a threat at that point and you only can do it while she is still sitting?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Since you’ve done several adoptions I wanted to ask you if it’s possible to get your mother hen to adopt 2 more chicks after the hatching is done or will she see them as a threat at that point and you only can do it while she is still sitting?

If it's a small group and she has already taken them out... the new chicks are usually too confused to know to follow the hen and she usually sees them as invaders.

If she is still in the box and hasn't yet left the nest then it has a higher chance of going smoothly.

I have tried adopting some during the night after the others have already been going out for a couple days since they all look the same and were even from the same hatch. What I found was the new chicks still in the box and the happy family off doing their thing. I almost lost one of those but found it in time. You really never know until you try. If you have the time to supervise a little and check often then go ahead and try it.

Regarding ramps... most my mums will try to get the babes up the ramp, unsuccessfully for about the first week or so and they will end up sitting on the chicks at the bottom of the ramp not just ditching them... at least until most can make it up. Once most can make it up she might not come back out for stragglers... until she hears them distressed running away from me then she come full tilt broody crazy! I go out and help teach them to follow her up the ramp, sometimes putting them about halfway and letting them figure the rest out. Part of the issue is she can jump much higher than they can and if they aren't directly paying attention and miss her heading up, they see her at the top calling them in but are slightly confused. I don't think it's ever taken a full two weeks of me helping the night time routine... and Silkie chicks are just about the worst... most other breeds seem a bit smarter and catch on faster.

In my coops that only have a ramp going up to roost, I make sure the doorway and lay box lips are not much more than a 4 inch hop. Most can make that within a couple days.

So to wrap it up... if she hasn't yet left the nest will have the highest chance of success for adopting late comers.