Hen’s first time hatching eggs, How to prepare for the best outcome?

[LilFinnGirl]

Hello all, hatching day is TOMORROW and I am feeling slightly neurotic wanting to be prepared. Equal parts excited and nervous. Using this thread to document the experience for my own sanity.

Had one of my Buff Orpingtons go broody in February and I couldn’t break her of it, so got three adopted eggs for her to sit on. She has been a dedicated mama so far!

Now, preparing for the big day tomorrow! Should I take the day off work to be around to handle any emergencies (such as her rejecting them, squishing them, etc)?

Should I put up a divider to separate them from the rest of the flock? If so, how long should I keep them separated? It’s eight hens in a coop with enclosed run, I only let them out supervised free ranging on my lunch break, and for about an hour after work.

Does the whole flock need to go on chick crumbles (assuming not if separated) or would it be okay to hang their regular feed higher than the chicks could reach?

Should I keep the chicks in the coop only or allow them out in the run?

I am aware I am overthinking/worrying. Is there anything else I need to consider?

Thank you for your time!! Would love to hear your experiences!

 

[16 and me]

Buff Orpington's are great Mama's. The first hatch I took the day off and sat and watched in wonder, but really, she's got this better than we do. I found it helpful to put a cage around her and babies in the coop, so the early birds couldn't stray while she sat on the late hatchers.

Buy extra chick starter... Your whole flock will eat the chicks food and the effort I put into keeping them out of it was not worth it. If you have eggshells or oyster shells for the adults, they'll be fine eating the chick starter for a while.

Mama will take them out when she is ready, I found the best thing to do was open the cage she is in when I'm out with them, and let her do as she sees fit. I found my BO to be rather quick at teaching them to forage & getting them outside.

Have fun... It flies by so fast!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Should I take the day off work to be around to handle any emergencies (such as her rejecting them, squishing them, etc)?

I would not. Whether under a broody hen or in a calibrated incubator it is not unusual for a hatch to be a day or even 2 days early or late. You could be wasting vacation days and probably bothering the hen when you should leave her alone. Besides she knows what she is doing better than you do.

Should I put up a divider to separate them from the rest of the flock?

I don't. I let them hatch with the flock. Other people separate the hens while they are incubating, let alone during hatch. You can have great success either way, you can have bad outcomes either way.

Does the whole flock need to go on chick crumbles (assuming not if separated) or would it be okay to hang their regular feed higher than the chicks could reach?

The hen will move the hen's feed down to where they can get to it. By two weeks of age they will be flying up to get to the feed themselves. You cannot keep the chicks out.

Should I keep the chicks in the coop only or allow them out in the run?

The broody hen will decide that.

I am aware I am overthinking/worrying.

Some of us can really help you with that. Some of us encourage thinking and overthinking as a reflex reaction.

Is there anything else I need to consider?

Sometimes my broody hens bring the chicks off of the nest within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it takes longer. My record was when a chick hatched late Monday evening and the hen brought them all off Friday morning, about 80 hours later.

I don't know what your coop or nest look like so it's hard to get too detailed. My nests are 2' to 4' above the coop floor. When the hen brings them off they never go back to the nest, the chicks can't get there. So she takes them to sleep on the coop floor. I have food and water on the coop floor so the chicks can get to them but the other hens seem to think that is a treat and prefer that to their own food. Plus the other hens scratch a lot, they can bury any food or water on the floor in bedding. Mine is set up so I can deal with that but I have no idea what your coop looks like.

I water in an open bowl. To keep bedding out it is set up on a platform above the bedding. I fill it with rocks so the chicks can drink without falling in. I don't know what waterer you use in your coop, if you even have water in your coop.

How do your chickens go in and out of the coop? My broody hens typically keep the chicks in the coop itself for two or maybe three days before going outside. My pop door is about 12" above the coop floor and above the outside also so I make steps out of pavers so they can hop up and down. Some people use ramps. After the broody takes them outside the first time, they tend to spend all day every day outside (I have over 2,000 square feet available outside). She brings them inside the coop to sleep at night. I have food and water available to them outside also but they spend a lot of the time grazing in the grass.

I suggest being there the first few nights when it is bedtime to make sure they all get back inside. Sometimes the broody may need some help.

I don't know if any of this will help you at all. We all have different set-ups and we all do this different ways.

Good luck!

 

[LilFinnGirl]

Buff Orpington's are great Mama's. The first hatch I took the day off and sat and watched in wonder, but really, she's got this better than we do. I found it helpful to put a cage around her and babies in the coop, so the early birds couldn't stray while she sat on the late hatchers.

Buy extra chick starter... Your whole flock will eat the chicks food and the effort I put into keeping them out of it was not worth it. If you have eggshells or oyster shells for the adults, they'll be fine eating the chick starter for a while.

Mama will take them out when she is ready, I found the best thing to do was open the cage she is in when I'm out with them, and let her do as she sees fit. I found my BO to be rather quick at teaching them to forage & getting them outside.

Have fun... It flies by so fast!

Thank you for the reassurance, that’s what I keep telling myself- Mama bird has got this! It’s her first time too though, so it’s all new territory for us. I will stock up on extra chick starter, for sure!

 

[LilFinnGirl]

I don't know what your coop or nest look like so it's hard to get too detailed. My nests are 2' to 4' above the coop floor. When the hen brings them off they never go back to the nest, the chicks can't get there. So she takes them to sleep on the coop floor. I have food and water on the coop floor so the chicks can get to them but the other hens seem to think that is a treat and prefer that to their own food. Plus the other hens scratch a lot, they can bury any food or water on the floor in bedding. Mine is set up so I can deal with that but I have no idea what your coop looks like.

I water in an open bowl. To keep bedding out it is set up on a platform above the bedding. I fill it with rocks so the chicks can drink without falling in. I don't know what waterer you use in your coop, if you even have water in your coop.

How do your chickens go in and out of the coop? My broody hens typically keep the chicks in the coop itself for two or maybe three days before going outside. My pop door is about 12" above the coop floor and above the outside also so I make steps out of pavers so they can hop up and down. Some people use ramps. After the broody takes them outside the first time, they tend to spend all day every day outside (I have over 2,000 square feet available outside). She brings them inside the coop to sleep at night. I have food and water available to them outside also but they spend a lot of the time grazing in the grass.

I suggest being there the first few nights when it is bedtime to make sure they all get back inside. Sometimes the broody may need some help.

I don't know if any of this will help you at all. We all have different set-ups and we all do this different ways.

Good luck!

I will hunt down some good photos of my set up. Thank you for your input- very helpful/reassuring. Nature is gonna do what it is gonna do, good or bad.

Will give a more thorough response in a bit!

 

[LilFinnGirl]

I would not. Whether under a broody hen or in a calibrated incubator it is not unusual for a hatch to be a day or even 2 days early or late. You could be wasting vacation days and probably bothering the hen when you should leave her alone. Besides she knows what she is doing better than you do.


I don't. I let them hatch with the flock. Other people separate the hens while they are incubating, let alone during hatch. You can have great success either way, you can have bad outcomes either way.


The hen will move the hen's feed down to where they can get to it. By two weeks of age they will be flying up to get to the feed themselves. You cannot keep the chicks out.


The broody hen will decide that.


Some of us can really help you with that. Some of us encourage thinking and overthinking as a reflex reaction.


Sometimes my broody hens bring the chicks off of the nest within 24 hours of the first one hatching, sometimes it takes longer. My record was when a chick hatched late Monday evening and the hen brought them all off Friday morning, about 80 hours later.

I don't know what your coop or nest look like so it's hard to get too detailed. My nests are 2' to 4' above the coop floor. When the hen brings them off they never go back to the nest, the chicks can't get there. So she takes them to sleep on the coop floor. I have food and water on the coop floor so the chicks can get to them but the other hens seem to think that is a treat and prefer that to their own food. Plus the other hens scratch a lot, they can bury any food or water on the floor in bedding. Mine is set up so I can deal with that but I have no idea what your coop looks like.

I water in an open bowl. To keep bedding out it is set up on a platform above the bedding. I fill it with rocks so the chicks can drink without falling in. I don't know what waterer you use in your coop, if you even have water in your coop.

How do your chickens go in and out of the coop? My broody hens typically keep the chicks in the coop itself for two or maybe three days before going outside. My pop door is about 12" above the coop floor and above the outside also so I make steps out of pavers so they can hop up and down. Some people use ramps. After the broody takes them outside the first time, they tend to spend all day every day outside (I have over 2,000 square feet available outside). She brings them inside the coop to sleep at night. I have food and water available to them outside also but they spend a lot of the time grazing in the grass.

I suggest being there the first few nights when it is bedtime to make sure they all get back inside. Sometimes the broody may need some help.

I don't know if any of this will help you at all. We all have different set-ups and we all do this different ways.

Good luck!

So here is my coop setup, food and water are hanging. Will put additional food and water in the coop for the chicks on a small platform.

Open to advice if I need to change anything to make it more chick friendly! Is the ramp okay? Should I put a board up as a baby gate to prevent the chicks from falling out but still allow the hens access in and out?

Heard peeping and got nosy…Two of the three are here! Third is pipped!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is the ramp okay?

The chicks should be able to handle that ramp as it is not that steep. I'm not worried about them getting down, they will either walk down or jump. Maybe fall. But that should not hurt them, I've seen them jump/fall a lot further than that without injury.

What often happens though is that the hen hops/flies to the pop door and calls her chicks. They run to her on the ground, ignoring the ramp, and can't jump up. Eventually they will learn but you might want to be out there at bedtime every night until you are confident they can handle it.

The way I'd approach it is to wait until the others are in bed and then lock the hen inside. She may object to you handling her babies. Then put the chicks in. And a warning. I killed a chick once. It crawled up under Mama's wing and I crushed it when I picked the broody up. Be careful when picking up the hen. It was a freak accident but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

Should I put a board up as a baby gate to prevent the chicks from falling out but still allow the hens access in and out?

I would not. They are not going to be wandering around that much.

Heard peeping and got nosy…Two of the three are here! Third is pipped!

 

[LilFinnGirl]

She may object to you handling her babies. Then put the chicks in. And a warning. I killed a chick once. It crawled up under Mama's wing and I crushed it when I picked the broody up. Be careful when picking up the hen. It was a freak accident but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I will be extra cautious when handling the hen (her name is Tate)… I had that worry when I moved her to look. Will leave her alone as much as I can.

When I moved her, she did peck at the darker baby a couple times, but not with much force. Is that her guiding it back underneath her? Or is all pecking “bad”?

Thank you again for your help. And letting me have someone to metaphorically slap me out of it and tell me to calm down. It’s what I needed.

 

[16 and me]

I will be extra cautious when handling the hen (her name is Tate)… I had that worry when I moved her to look. Will leave her alone as much as I can.

When I moved her, she did peck at the darker baby a couple times, but not with much force. Is that her guiding it back underneath her? Or is all pecking “bad”?

Thank you again for your help. And letting me have someone to metaphorically slap me out of it and tell me to calm down. It’s what I needed.

If you had your hands were in there, close to her and babies, it is likely that she was warning the chick to "take cover" under her. Enjoy the cuteness!

 

[LilFinnGirl]

Still just two babies. Third is pipped, not zipped. Mama Tate is SO GOOD. She is definitely concerned and protective, wants these babies (and third egg), but does not peck at me or get aggressive with me checking them out. Leaving them alone for the evening and hoping for a third chick in the morning!

Thank you all for the support!