A neighbor's chicken has built a nest of eggs in my backyard and I think they will hatch. Since this is unplanned, I am not sure the eggs will hatch and it's not my hen. I have not gone out to buy supplies. But I plan on keeping the baby hens.
My first question is, I live in Pheonix, is it ok to keep the chicks outside. Should I put them in the shed at night or should I keep them in the house?
Replies
Hi Grace...how exciting! If there is a rooster next door and an attentive broody hen, you might just get some chicks out of the deal...In terms of where to brood them...if you think the mama hen is ok and has a safe place to bring her chicks to keep them safe, then she will probably do a great job brooding them. She will teach them how to scratch, forage, and all around be chickens. If you haven't already, consider putting a feeder and waterer near her so she doesn't have to go far to get food and water. I'm sure you have talked to your neighbor, but make sure its ok with them if you keep the chicks, or split them with the owners. Here are a few posts from my blog about our hen that went broody and we got her some fertile eggs from a friend to brood and hatch.
This one is about when the hen went broody and what we decided to do about it:
http://www.cultivatingdust.com/2012/05/18/breaking-a-broody-hen/
Candeling eggs:
http://www.cultivatingdust.com/2012/06/09/candleing-eggs/
the Hatching:
http://www.cultivatingdust.com/2012/06/11/the-hatching/
And here is Mama Coco teaching her chickies how to scratch, peck and be cutie patootie:
http://www.cultivatingdust.com/2012/06/13/mother-hen-and-her-chicks/
Becky thank you for the info and line. Cool Karis, I will read your blogs tonight. Good advice about talking to my neighbor about the chicks. I have an attitude about the chicks since their parents tresspass in my yard, but I like my neighbors and we have to come to an agrreement about the ongoing chicken problem. Is there any people food I can feed the mother, since I dont have chicken feed?
you can give her veggie scraps like greens, melon and squash rinds, corn cobs...but she really needs feed. You might ask your neighbors if you can have a little bag of feed from their stock.
Two baby chicks were born this morning. I had my neighbor come and get Mom, Dad and the babies. I bet he finally clipped the hen and rooster's wings and they won't be coming in my yard anymore.
Thank you everyone for all the helpful information along with this whole experience I will be better prepared when I am ready to get my own hens.
I think it's OK to keep the chicks outside if they stay with their mother and they are protected from predators (in a coop).
Otherwise, you need to bring them in and brood them for about 6 weeks.
Backyardchickens.com has a great "learning center" with most of the information you need:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-and-raising-chicks
Is the hen sitting on the eggs? If not, even if they are fertile, they probably won't hatch if they get cold. Even if they don't get cold, they have to be turned regularly or the chicks will be deformed. if you have any way to candle them, you could check to see if an embryo is developing. But seriously, it is too cold at night to keep the embryos alive. Occasionally I find clutches of eggs that my free range hens lay because a nest box isn't handy--they have never hatched. Mom reminded me that years ago her hens would wander in the desert in the summer and would lay eggs out there. Because it was summer, occasionally the eggs would hatch but because they were never turned the chicks were deformed.
Yes, she has been sitting on them for about 2 weeks. I guess I am worried because I have not turned them. But the hen has definately moved them around the the box. Hehe, I did find a bunch of other eggs this week as I was weed wacking. Since the hen is not mine I don't know if she would let me get close enough to grab an egg to candle it. If the eggs are not fertile, how long will the hen sit on the nest?
Until she gets bored ;-) usually 21 days i believe. Is there a Rooster next door? --the eggs could be feritle if so. When my hen 'went broody' I had no rooster so I went to the feed store on Lone Cactus and I 17 and bought fertilized eggs. She hatched and raised 6 chicks. And did very well with them! Hope the same for your hen. (if she is sitting on them--she is turning them--broody hens are very good about that.)
Yes the neighbors have a rooster too. This should be very interesting.
A couple of points: 1) we don't know if the eggs are sterile or not so they may not hatch and 2) chicks will need to be raised inside the house under a source of heat as in a low wattage light bulb. Once they have their feathers, they can be moved to out of doors but I would provide a coop/secure shelter for them at night. Also, keep in mind, you may end up with a rooster or two and they're not legal to have in Phoenix.
I hope this turns out great for you and you will soon be a mother of some new baby chicks.
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