Obvious when you think about it .......!

[Hen-Gen]

Yesterday I lost two thirds of my newly hatched chicks.
In the shed in which I put my chicks under electric hens I also have my broody breaker. A hen has been in this for the last three days. I put all the chicks under the electric hens and went to bed. I hypothesise that the next morning she called to the chicks who left the electric hens and ran to her but were unable to get through the wire netting to join her. So yesterday I found them all dead of cold next to the netting.
This is more chicks lost than in my entire life added together. A lesson learnt and I will never make this mistake again. No book has ever warned of this potential disaster. But to see twenty three little bodies all lying there was both sad and frustrating.
So just nine left and fingers crossed. Among the living are two Dominique x Blue Jersey Giants that will both be blue barred. And among five chicks hatched from eBay Exchequer Leghorns just two left.
A salutary lesson!

 

[Marigold]

Oh dear, so sorry, HenGen. Were they from your own eggs? I,e, can you try again?

 

[MrsBiscuit]

I am very sorry to hear that HG, but you sound sanguine, onwards and upwards as they say on Gardener's QT.

 

[Margaid]

So sorry to read this, but it does show that a broody would probably rear chicks given to her at a couple of days old.

 

[LadyA]

Oh gosh! How sad. I've never reared chicks, but tbh, I think even if I had, the potential for such a thing happening wouldn't have occurred to me at all.

 

[Tweetypie]

That's so tragic and must have been terrible to see. ?

 

[Sandrine]

Oh no! That is so sad... So sorry that this happened. I wouldn't have thought of this either to be fair if i had room for a similar set up. I think it might be possible that the chicks decided to go to her of their own will. So far I have had to take any chicks hatched by my hens away and have them under the heat lamp. They are very inquisitive right from day one, and always try and come on our hand whilst we're sorting out the bedding, food etc... even if that means coming away from the warmth of the lamp... Although on day one and two, they seem to fall sleep all the time, like everything they do is too much of an effort... So maybe they fell asleep wherever they ended up instead of going back to the warmth.

 

[tiny_tam]

Very sad. I feel for you, Gen-Hen, but not so obvious if the chicks were hatched in incubators. Was that the case? If the chicks were raised in incubators, I would not imagine that they would imprint on a hen (unless a hen was the first large moving object they saw). As the chicks in this case tried to get to the hen, it suggests they had imprinted on her or a similar animal. Perhaps as they were so young, she was the first suitably-sized creature to fit the role. However, often incubated chicks imprint on human carers, as you have probably experienced. Could they have been seeking the heat of her body after straying from their heat lamp to investigate, not understanding that the cage would not allow them to access her? Sorry for your loss :-(.

 

[Tangerine daisy]

I hope you’re ok. Very sorry to read of this.

 

[Hen-Gen]

Thank you for your expressions of sympathy. I’m fine and life is to busy to dwell on either acts of God or things resulting from my own idiocy. I only hatch once a year and am already thinking about 2020! Coronation Sussex, hum. Houdans, maybe?
Good thing is that I have a promising lamb that I left entire so this December he could be losing his virginity!!! His five half sisters already have new homes to go too in August and his two half brothers will be translocating into my freezer in November.

 

[valeriebutterley]

Gen-Gen, so sorry to hear about your babes.

After yet another two fox raids that nearly made me give up a few months ago, when he killed everything during daylight hours, giving up was the only course open. Never give up. He took all my Beautiful black Croads and white leghorns. Some of my Croads were getting on a bit, and a getting on Black Croad is a formidable sight. I decided I had to change something, and so have subsequently put all growers in the add-on run which seems to be OK.
I began hatching and to date have 4 black Croads varying ages by weeks, and two white ones. The eggs are very hard to get hold of, being rare breed.
So beautiful and friendly, quite good at eggs, and wonderful temperaments.
I have some Leghorns going dizzy at the moment, and have great hopes of them.
Have hatched 11 out of 12 ebay Pekins also, georgeous little chicks, all for now, walking still not good after accident 16 months ago, love to all, Val.