I got two chicks this morning, they were dry and happy, one from a marans one from Dee. I noticed one more was hatching so I just went out to check on it and it was laying on the floor of the coop and had been attacked, still barely alive and very cold, I doubt it will make it. This is the second one like that. Both weren't even dry before being attacked or something like that. Is it an normal for a first time Mother not to protect her young or maybe push them out so they are pecked? This chick came from Michelle and Oprah's shared nest.
We are building a new house so the Mothers will be isolated so maybe that will help. I was thinking of bring in the rest of eggs to incubate. Any suggestions or is it just the circle of life?
Someone killing the chicks
LoraK,
If it's a long ways down from the nest to the floor, then I'm guessing they might of either fell or got pushed off. And the other just might of picked on them. Are their any signs of abuse, scratches/cuts? Bringing the eggs in to incubate would probably be a good idea. You never know, you don't want it to happen again. If you got a fenced in run/coop then I doubt its any outsider.
Sorry to hear such bad news, hope for the best!!!
Good Luck
Eric
Thanks I was thinking that too. Those two gals are in a "second floor" nestbox. The chick is alive, it has bruises on its feet, blood in one of its ears and other scraps. I have it in my ICU. I am going out in a few to lock them up. I am going to take away all the second floor eggs and replace them with new ones. They free range so it could have been anything, but then I would have never seen the chick. I was just thinking it was a bad mommy or an agressive guinea.
The lil one didn't make it. I really did not think it would I was hoping though. I had 5 happy and healthy chicks this morning, 4 marans and one silkie x marans! And they were hatched in different first floor nestboxes but were all under one hen! It was my black silkie, Jennifer, who wasn't even broody! She ran off the marans hen out of her nestbox and gathered all the chicks for herself. Smart girl why do all work!
Sorry to hear about that! I know exactly how it feel to lose a little one.
But congrats on the 5 chicks!!! Where those all the eggs you had in there? I too had a hen who on the last few days was ran off by another hen, but she too was broody! She turned out to not take care of them so she I guess gave them to the 1st momma hen!lol
Well Congrats!
Eric
Nope I have 4 hens on eggs. The next time I am going to let them incubate the eggs I am going to save them up, mark them and put them all back in at once that way I don't confused on dates or if it is an eating egg or one that is being incubated. I got really confused and ended up leaving them in the nest. I did finally use some food coloring and a small brush marking them all. From all the turning the pencil was rubbed off. I am definitely marking them all at once next time.
Hi LoraK--If the food coloring wears off, I read somewhere that those waxy pencils they call "china markers" are excellent for marking eggs--they are soft so they don't puncture the egg, they are non-toxic and they don't wear off.
I've been using #2 pencils, but with the automatic turner in the incubator the marks haven't rubbed off so far.