She has been in her bucket all this time untill tonight I went out to shut everyone up and she ihas moved her eggs outside the bucket,why did she so this,she was safer in there and the babies would be safer in there to.Any ideas?,its not hot here in the 60s and low 70s in the daytime and in the 50s at night so it would not be because of heat.
This is the three of them,the other little one was in the bucket with her today for awhile but thats not new she does that every once in awhile.
I don't know much, but maybe she knows what she is doing? Maybe it's too hot or too wet?
I think hens do like to move chicks....mine all do it if they can. It may lessen parasites, or make them feel safer from predators. Cats move kittens too. I have a Nankin bantam in the house with her chicks and she can't move them out of the container they are in, although she can move in and out...it is driving her crazy.
No its not to hot its really cool her and the coop is cool and well ventilated,and its not wet in there or in her bucket,but I think your right she must know what she is doing
Catscan no babies untill next Sat.if they hatch,there is only two eggs.
Oh, I thought you were saying there were chicks.
I had one Sebright who moved "her" eggs across a double nest box to get away from a bantam egg I put under her. She had gotten used to sitting on the standard sized eggs the other chickens were laying and she wouldn't sit on one that was her own size. Funny she didn't just role out the new egg.
I have also had them move eggs in and outof the nest--but that was usually to get away from a bad egg.
Ok thanks she must know what she is doing.
There was probably something she just didn't like could be mites irritating her and then again she may just think it's nicer outside LOL
I gave up long ago trying to figure chickens out i mean i have seen some i had in the past sit out in the rain on a limb instead of using the cozy roost i made them.
Nutmeg moved her eggs around somewhat too. She had one egg (that hatched out a pretty lil chipmunk chick) she kept rolling outside of the nest area the last few days. i marked it so i knew which one it was. It was the first to hatch out. I guess she thought it was getting too warm or something. She knew best. :) not that i didn't get a few gray hairs in the process of watching her sit on the eggs.
Good news! She had them back in the bucket this morning when I went out.How do they move them?with there feet or with there beaks,I wish I could have seen that it would have been so cute.I hope after all this work on here part they both hatch for her.
Thats Great! I would love to have seen that too if you ever see her doing it how about doing a video.
Would be a good learning experience for all of us here {:~)
I actually caught Nutmeg moving them once, she used her beak & her feet but mostly her beak. It was so funny to watch. She was very good at it tho, put each egg exactly where she wanted it.
Please make sure she doesn't have mites. Mites killed three of my baby chicks right after they were born this year. Three were still alive and when I brought those inside, I could see the mites crawling off them. Zz was kind enough to tell me the mites probably killed the others. It was a sad day for me.
They were my first babies, and it was heartbreaking.
How do you check for mites?Are they big enough to see on the mother?What would you put on her if you see them
