Yay...our first egg hatched....now what?

[davimi]

We have a new baby....do i need to do anything ....how do i know if the mama is taking care of the baby?....do i need to offer anything to the mama?....how does she feed the baby?.....im so excited....but nervous...should i separate the hen and chicks from the other chickens?....

 

[elmo]

Chickens are precocial birds: when a chick hatches, it has feathers and is capable of feeding itself if it has access to food. The only thing the broody hen does for the chick is keep it warm and protect it from danger as best she can. She will also make a special clucking sound to show it where food is. You will be amazed at how fast a chick will make a beeline straight for the hen when she makes this sound!

A broody hen usually stays in the nest for couple of days while the whole clutch is hatching, so she may not leave the nest with her hatched chicks for some time. This gives the chicks that have hatched a time to dry off, rest and gather their strength. They can live without food and water during this period off the last nutrition they got from the yolk before they hatched.

How many eggs were under your broody?

Just make sure chick starter feed and water is placed close to the nest, and make sure the chicks can get out of the nestbox and then back in when the hen tries to lead them back at night.

 

[davimi]

she has 6 eggs under her...i blocked the door to the coop so the other chickens can not get to them...the nest box is about 2 feet from the floor so should i wait until all eggs have hatched and then put all the babies on the floor of the coop?...i wouldnt want any to fall.

 

[rdport]

Is she still sitting on the eggs as before? If not, they might not hatch. A baby chick can go about 1 to 1 1/2 days without food or water, but the sooner they can eat and drink the better. The mother should protect her chick from the other chickens...can you enclose the nest box with food and water inside with the hen and chick? We have made a ramp for the chick to use. They are not fragile at all. Just a little stepping block will help them make the leap back into the box. They are really amazing.

 

[davimi]

she is still sitting on the other eggs...ill try to make a ramp of sorts for them..thanks for all ur help.....ill keep u all posted

 

[elmo]

Quote:
That's actually less of a problem than getting back in...which the chicks wouldn't be able to do. The hen would probably just hunker down on the floor and let her chicks nestle under her. However, to be safe, moving the nest down to the floor after the hatch is done is probably a good idea.