YO GEORGIANS! :)

[valleychicks]

LOL!!! Chica is short for Chicalay which is what my 2 year old niece calls Chick Fil A

My daughter and son in law call Chick Fil A, Chick a lay too. They both went to GA Southern and while she was at college there she worked at the Brooklet Daycare. Her kids at the daycare called Chick Fil A, Chick a lay. LOL!

 

[GAMarans]

Oh who is picking up a bag of Ice?

I have a couple of the bags in the freezer at the farm. Can't recall if they are 5 or 8 lbs

 

[CliffB]

Alright so i believe my broody started sitting on the eggs on April 14, maybe 15. If the eggs are expected to hatch on Day 21, but could possibly hatch on 20-23 at what point do i call it and just toss whatever eggs are left in the nest? Also as the eggs hatch do i snatch the chicks up and bring them into the garage brooder or do i leave them outside with her until all hatching is done? Thanks guys.

 

[RoboDuck]

How many eggs does she have? You have to figure she only laid one a day so if there's 7 there could be a couple of days between first and last hatch. If there's nothing 3 days after the last chick hatches, they're probably tossable. But I would guess that she'll know and she'll get up and leave them in order to get her babies some food and water. Nature is usually better with babies than we are. As long as she takes them under her wing to keep them warm, I'd leave them with her.

 

[CliffB]

I just worry about how the rest of the birds would treat the babies. She originally was sitting on 2 eggs i believe and i gave her about 8 more.

 

[GAMarans]

I just worry about how the rest of the birds would treat the babies. She originally was sitting on 2 eggs i believe and i gave her about 8 more.

So she is nesting in the same area as the other birds, I'm assuming. Some birds do just fine with it and others will kill them.

 

[RoboDuck]

Most mother hens will take on a grizzly to protect her biddies. But if you're worried about that aspect of it, it might be best to take them and protect them. But she may hate you forever after. Chickens hold grudges.

 

[PapaChaz]

Most mother hens will take on a grizzly to protect her biddies. But if you're worried about that aspect of it, it might be best to take them and protect them. But she may hate you forever after. Chickens hold grudges.

 

[CliffB]

She is using one of the 3 nesting boxes in the gen pop portion of the coop.

 

[Flowerbh]

I just worry about how the rest of the birds would treat the babies. She originally was sitting on 2 eggs i believe and i gave her about 8 more.

I've had broodies have their babies in the coop with the rest of the flock. The mom protects them. Before I would toss any eggs, I would candle them. My daughters Seramas were sitting on three eggs. Two hatched and then two days later the last one hatched. The hen sat on the egg until it hatched. If you want the mom to raise them as part of the flock but you are worried about the chicks, try to make a place for them that they can go to and be away from the others. I have an area in the smaller coop that is rarely visited by the hens. That is where I put mom with chicks. It's amazing how the other chickens don't bother the babies when mom is there!