WindyRoost
Songster
I don’t know if I’ve meddled too much, worked too fast or if the situation can be corrected but I need advice for grafting our Blue Wyandotte to accept feed store chicks.
Last year she went solid broody for three weeks and I successfully gave her three feed store chicks. It wasn’t the easiest thing to get her to accept them but she did and raised them well. I spent the better part of two days in the coop making sure she didn’t hurt them.
So this year she went broody again and after two weeks I planned for chicks. We lost two of our layers to coyotes 3 days before chick day so there was extra incentive.
And, well -chicken math. Since the first of each breed doesn’t count, and bantams are only 1/2 a chicken I came home with 9, I mean 2 1/2 chicks. Anyway I snuck two under her back end almost right away (after feeding and watering) and she seemed contented and happy and with five more (infertile) eggs she wasn’t going anywhere. I came back to check on the three of them 20 minutes later and the tiniest Bantam was dead, I think squished between her and the eggs.
I should mention that I converted 3 nest boxes to a floor level brooder, so this is all in the coop.
While I was checking underneath her she hopped off the nest to go eat so I took both chicks and when she came back I slipped four under her in pairs.
They did ok, a few sweet noises so in a half hour I tried to give her another one. She didn’t love it and pecked but I tucked it under her wing and she settled down.
And then I did it again and she literally flew the coop. I had tucked one under her back and about the same time one chick popped out from her breast and she looked at it good, screamed and ran.
If not for my desperation to get her to take these babies, it would have been comical. I empathized, actually.
So.... I tucked everyone under the mama heating pad I have set up next to her under a metal basket. When she returned she crossed the top of the basket, peered over the edge and started trying to peck at whatever she saw. Sigh.
I took them all back to the brooder in my garage and waited until it was completely dark. Then I took them all out, slipped them under her in pairs and removed all the eggs. Checked on them every 20 minutes for a couple hours and didn’t hear any good coos but no one hour attacked either. Once there was a cold escapee who I guided back and noticed she wasn’t doing anything to coax it to her, but it was dark. I woke up before dawn and all was quiet so I came back an hour later after sunrise. Again she had ditched the nest and for a good while. One chick had made its way under the heating pad at some point so I nudged them all under it and when she returned she went to a different nest with no eggs (she’s been switching between two nests until the last several days when she went into lockdown).
So an hour later I tried again, this time by introducing her face to face. She let the first chick come, didn’t react when it pecked her eye except to pull away, and it leaned against her for warmth she let it.
I don’t remember if I helped it get under her feathers or not, but she eventually tucked it under and let it get warm. She tolerated chick 2, pecked hard at chick 3 so I tried with another dark chick and under her. As long as they stayed out of sight under feathers, she was fine.
I left the other chicksunder the heating pad so she could hear them, brought her some treats and she even took a few by hand.
I went to check them again an hour or two later and when the lid lifted she ditched the nest to go scratch around but I heard her calling as if to tidbit to them, and she was tidbitting the mealworms I’d brought her in the nest, too.
Well, this time when she returned she went back to the 1st nest, tried to peck when I tucked a couple under her but when she pulled one out by the leg and dangled it I called it quits and brought everyone back inside.
I can actually raise these babies but was definitely not planning on it. Some of these chicks were born Monday, some Wednesday. Time is not on my side but I feel like there is some hope. Please don’t tell me it’s wishful thinking even if it is
With the idea of getting mama Duchess to accept at least a few babies, what do you recommend we try next?
If you’ve read this far in my Saturday saga-thank you!! This is my current situation.
Last year she went solid broody for three weeks and I successfully gave her three feed store chicks. It wasn’t the easiest thing to get her to accept them but she did and raised them well. I spent the better part of two days in the coop making sure she didn’t hurt them.
So this year she went broody again and after two weeks I planned for chicks. We lost two of our layers to coyotes 3 days before chick day so there was extra incentive.
And, well -chicken math. Since the first of each breed doesn’t count, and bantams are only 1/2 a chicken I came home with 9, I mean 2 1/2 chicks. Anyway I snuck two under her back end almost right away (after feeding and watering) and she seemed contented and happy and with five more (infertile) eggs she wasn’t going anywhere. I came back to check on the three of them 20 minutes later and the tiniest Bantam was dead, I think squished between her and the eggs.
I should mention that I converted 3 nest boxes to a floor level brooder, so this is all in the coop.
While I was checking underneath her she hopped off the nest to go eat so I took both chicks and when she came back I slipped four under her in pairs.
They did ok, a few sweet noises so in a half hour I tried to give her another one. She didn’t love it and pecked but I tucked it under her wing and she settled down.
And then I did it again and she literally flew the coop. I had tucked one under her back and about the same time one chick popped out from her breast and she looked at it good, screamed and ran.
If not for my desperation to get her to take these babies, it would have been comical. I empathized, actually.
So.... I tucked everyone under the mama heating pad I have set up next to her under a metal basket. When she returned she crossed the top of the basket, peered over the edge and started trying to peck at whatever she saw. Sigh.
I took them all back to the brooder in my garage and waited until it was completely dark. Then I took them all out, slipped them under her in pairs and removed all the eggs. Checked on them every 20 minutes for a couple hours and didn’t hear any good coos but no one hour attacked either. Once there was a cold escapee who I guided back and noticed she wasn’t doing anything to coax it to her, but it was dark. I woke up before dawn and all was quiet so I came back an hour later after sunrise. Again she had ditched the nest and for a good while. One chick had made its way under the heating pad at some point so I nudged them all under it and when she returned she went to a different nest with no eggs (she’s been switching between two nests until the last several days when she went into lockdown).
So an hour later I tried again, this time by introducing her face to face. She let the first chick come, didn’t react when it pecked her eye except to pull away, and it leaned against her for warmth she let it.
I don’t remember if I helped it get under her feathers or not, but she eventually tucked it under and let it get warm. She tolerated chick 2, pecked hard at chick 3 so I tried with another dark chick and under her. As long as they stayed out of sight under feathers, she was fine.
I left the other chicksunder the heating pad so she could hear them, brought her some treats and she even took a few by hand.
I went to check them again an hour or two later and when the lid lifted she ditched the nest to go scratch around but I heard her calling as if to tidbit to them, and she was tidbitting the mealworms I’d brought her in the nest, too.
Well, this time when she returned she went back to the 1st nest, tried to peck when I tucked a couple under her but when she pulled one out by the leg and dangled it I called it quits and brought everyone back inside.
I can actually raise these babies but was definitely not planning on it. Some of these chicks were born Monday, some Wednesday. Time is not on my side but I feel like there is some hope. Please don’t tell me it’s wishful thinking even if it is
With the idea of getting mama Duchess to accept at least a few babies, what do you recommend we try next?
If you’ve read this far in my Saturday saga-thank you!! This is my current situation.
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