Re: Brooding hen - advice?

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 12:24:26 +0100, "Tracie" <tracieemerson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi there,

I have a Norfolk Grey hen sitting on 6 Maran eggs for 4 days now -
she's doing very well and is very determined - it's her first time. I've
been making sure she eats, drinks and try to lift her every day so she
doesn't get 'cramped up'. I've made her comfortable in the nest box and
blocked it off so the other hens can't pester her.

Don't forget that she needs to be able to get out of the nest box
entirely when she wants to. Every few days she will have to take
a huge fecal dump, and if you've never seen one *** in the nest
you are better off. It will not only make a horrible mess and stink,
but from my experience it somehow ruins the hatch too, and few
if any chicks will hatch.

All seems to be going
well but this morning I noticed one of the eggs had broken under her. She
had eaten most of it so I cleared the rest of the mess away. I just have a
few questions and would really appreciate some help....

Do eggs normally break like that?

It sounds like your birds need to have a supply of calcium available.
If you mix it with their feed, the shells can become too thick and you'll
have the oposite problem. The best way I've learned to do it, is to keep
a container of oyster shells hung within reach of all the birds, and they
will eat what they want. I used an empty can nailed to the side of the
pen, with holes in the bottom so rain could drain out. Add more when
it runs low...later on I also learned it's good to mix grani-grit in with the
shells as well. You can probably get more advice at the feed store.

Is six too many for her first time?

Look and see what she can handle. There's no point putting more
under a hen than she can cover, but I've found that most hens can
cover at least 12 of their own size eggs.

Hopefully if the chicks hatch, is it ok to move mother and chicks to a pen
of their own or do they need to stay where they are?

Thank you

Tracie

They don't need to be confined with a bunch of adult chickens,
unless you don't really care whether or not they survive. You should
wait until the chicks are dry before moving them imo. Also, never
help one to hatch unless there is no alternative at all. Some of them
will be hours behind others. In my experience, "helping" one to hatch
is more likely to kill it than to actually help it. You can put them in a
pen with a smaller opening along the bottom so the chicks can get
out to catch bugs and eat grass, but the hen can't get out. That usually
works well, especially if you work it out so you can shut them in at night,
and whenever you're not around if you notice them start to disappear.
Keep them away from other mother hens or they are likely to kill them.
Also, be careful whenever you catch the chicks to move them. If they
are all up and about when you're ready to do it, be careful that the hen
doesn't end up killing some of her own chicks if she attacks you in an
attempt to protect them. Sometimes it's good to grad the hen first, but
if she sends out a distress signal sometimes that makes the chicks
scatter and hide, and then it can be a real pain trying to catch them
after that.
.

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