Posted March 1, 200916 yr hi, My hen, Dianne currently has 2 babies and 6 eggs in the nest box. It is a long thin one and I have been told the chicks may not be able to get out of it. I want to move Dianne and her "baggage" to a better box but not sure if I can without upsetting her. Any suggestions? I thought about turning the current box onto its side but then the perch for dad to feed her is on the side of the hole not underneath, would that be a problem? Also, she has lost 2 babies and has buried 2 of the eggs, does that mean she knows they are infertile? Debbie
March 2, 200916 yr Best not to make any changes mid hatching and raising of chicks. All these things should be thought about and planned before breeding. Make changes now and you risk her stopping feeding the chicks. No she most likely doesnt know if the eggs are fertile or not. Hens usually are not that smart. Hens often throw out eggs with live chicks in them. Like people there are smart ones and not so smart ones
March 2, 200916 yr Best not to make any changes mid hatching and raising of chicks. All these things should be thought about and planned before breeding. Make changes now and you risk her stopping feeding the chicks. No she most likely doesnt know if the eggs are fertile or not. Hens usually are not that smart. Hens often throw out eggs with live chicks in them. Like people there are smart ones and not so smart ones
March 2, 200916 yr Author unfortunately, the 2 chicks died overnight. have no idea idea. i took the remaining eggs out and put them in a clean box, then i caught the hen and put her in. She seems okay at the moment but has a serious case of egg bum! Could she have killed the chicks because she is going to lay again? There are 6 eggs in the box and have lost 4 babies. debbie
March 2, 200916 yr unfortunately, the 2 chicks died overnight. have no idea idea.i took the remaining eggs out and put them in a clean box, then i caught the hen and put her in. She seems okay at the moment but has a serious case of egg bum! Could she have killed the chicks because she is going to lay again? There are 6 eggs in the box and have lost 4 babies. debbie The important thing is have you been checking the nestbox twice daily with the chicks in there and if so have they had food in their crops ? Was the nestbox mucky like they had a bacterial issue going on...tummy ache type thing ? Eggbum or not, eggs or not.......I would seriously be removing this hen to a spare cage and let her lay that egg off the perch. Dont try and save it and dont let her nest again. Throw away the eggs she has...dont let her breed again for at least 9 months and even then only if you see she is in OPTIMUM health and watch her very closely to see if she is a good Mum. If not again ...never breed her again. BUT please stop this next round of laying and raising of chicks...she isnt up for it. Edited March 2, 200916 yr by KAZ
March 2, 200916 yr Author I check the nest twice a day. The two that were dead this morning were doing great last night, lovely full crops, growing nicely, looked like they were starting to open eyes (they were 7 days old). I don't know what happened. Yes, they were in the aviary, colony bred, something that will never happen again, we DO live and learn! She has shown absolutely no interest in going to the new box. I even managed to catch her and put her in so she knew where the eggs were, but not luck. I will just wait til I am a bit more educated about breeding and will do things the "proper" way. Hopefully we will have better news soon! Debbie
March 2, 200916 yr Author I have taken the box out of the aviary. Just her and her mates now, she seems to be enjoying the new flight. They all have 7 metres of flying space from one end to the other! A bit dissapointing to lose all 10 eggs but at least she seems okay.
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