Hi all, I have hen with 6 eggs, 2nd round.(new Mum)

1st round each egg was laid in cage not nest box, I placed them into nest box and she incubated as normal. 2 hatched, she left them unfed both died, I removed 2 eggs to foster nest, 1 hatched.

 

Now 2nd round she has laid all but 1 egg in cage again, same process. First is due to hatch on 7th.

 

My query is:

I only have 1 nest with small chicks that youngest would be around 2 weeks by the time these eggs hatch. If she does not feed chicks again I'm wondering if hen with 2 week old chicks may accept the new chicks, even for first day or so then to try to replace them with mum or start hand rearing them if she refuses to feed or start hand rearing straight off?

 

Hopefully she may decide that she knows what she's doing and feed them but I'm wondering which way to go before they hatch.

 

thanks for any advice in advance.

Hi Robyn,

 

This hen of yours is certainly a tricky bird. Hopefully Kaz or another experienced breeder will come on line with all the right advice, but here are my thoughts for what they are worth.

 

I had a situation with a first time mother hen who was hopeless at feeding the chicks but was great at keeping them warm which is so important at that stage. The hen did feed intermittently but not enough so I removed the surviving chick (first 2 died) up to 4 times a day to supplementary feed it. Hard work I must say. After 5 days of doing this I was fortunately able to foster it out to a pair with similar age chicks. In your situation, when your hen hatches the first egg would it be worthwhile putting one of the 2 week old chicks (from the other nest) in with your problem hen? A newly hatched chick may not always be able to prompt the mother into feeding it, ie, it may not call loudly or incessantly enough. An older chick will be more demanding in calling for food so this will hopefully prompt your hen into feeding it and the newly hatched chick.

 

Having said the above, hopefully this time around your hen may get the right idea about what she is supposed to do.

 

Good luck, Sandy

Hi Robyn, Flip has a good idea. You might even want to try it out by putting the two week old chick into her nest a day or two before you expect the eggs to hatch, just to see if the hen will accept and feed the older chick. That way, if she doesn't, you can still go to plan B when the eggs start to hatch. I think the mother who has the two week old chicks might likely take on a newly hatched one. I did that with a foster mother, and she did fine, but I can't remember if her chicks had quite reached the two week stage. But a lot of my hens lay 8 or 9 eggs, and they are feeding two week olds when the last ones hatch, and they somehow figure out how to feed the tiny ones the right crop milk, not all full of whole seeds. I also think there is a good chance the hen will be a better mother the second time around. I've had that happen too. If you take on hand rearing a chick from hatching, be prepared that the lack of sleep will drive you crazy by the time you can let the chick sleep all night without a feeding. When I did it, the way I found out they could sleep five hours was because I got to the point that I just COULD. NOT. MAKE. MYSELF get up when that alarm went off!! Then I felt that I had coddled them longer than they needed, since they were fine.

Thanks Flip & Finnie, I'm really hoping something clicks as her eggs look 4-6 look fertile so far, hand feeding would be a job with a nest full.

I'll try her with other chick I think when new one is hatched as I don't want to risk bigger chick. Tha'ts if eggs hatch later than I think.

Hi Robyn,

 

Keep us posted on how everything goes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your hen gets it right this time around.

Well, little pinky arrived today right on time. Mum promptly laid egg 8 in cage then went in and (touch wood) fed pinky. Checked at lunch and it had a bit more food in crop. So relieved that she has fed it but she let first 2 die last round so I'm not 100% sure yet how they will go. Fingers and toes crossed this time.

Good luck Robyn, I hope she keeps looking after the baby

7 a.m chick flat on back been fed yippee!!

Well 2 chicks hatched and FED, looks like Mum has finally worked out how to be a Mum. 3rd due this afternoon sometime. So relieved.

Chick that hatched from first round (is fostered) is going to be a lovely gold & green pied which was what I set out to get back in aviary after my pied hen died.

Yay, glad to hear she has figured out what she needs to do. Congrats on the pied.

Thanks Nadene no 3 has arrived, so far so good.

No4 arrived but was dead overnight not fed, back to square 1? no 5 due to-day.