They can live on the yoke sac they absorb for 3 days. If they are hatching out today put food and water out for them tomorrow. But, don't worry if they don't seem too interested in it at first.
Momma should teach them what they need to know. It is so much fun watching momma with her chicks.
They will need grit too, if they don't have dirt to peck through.
New chicks are exciting! Carrie

Yay, chicks! :) Congrats, and have fun with them. Like Carrie says, they can live on the yok sac for up to three days, so don't worry too much about them not eating right away. Provide either chick starter or grow mash at all times, and a waterer they cannot drown in. Just put it in with mom and the eggs and leave them there. Mama will guide them in eating and drinking, hens are marvelous mothers. More info is here on my site:

http://jackshenhouse.com/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm

Don't fret too much. :)

Velvet ~:>

OH MY GOODNESS oh my goodness I went out this morning and I have one new chick. But the mother is really mean to it. She is mostly game hen and aracuna. She has been really feroucious with this nest of 6 eggs and when I went out to look at the progress this morning she was pecking and tossing the chick around She won't kill them will she I am really depending on her to get them grown up some. Maybe it was because I was around. Then she pecked at the shell some was she just trying to protect it from me and show it to eat the shell.

I am very worried

velvet post soon.

PS: will the chicks feathers change color cause this first one looks like her LOL

CI

Sorry, I was in having a surgical procedure done today and it took all freakin' day.

If she is grabbing it and tossing it around, I'd take it away pronto! Do you have another broody hen you can slip the chick under during the night? If not, you might want to make a brooder box with a heat source, food & water--but if no more chicks hatch, you'll have to get at least one other chick (preferably two, in case one dies) to keep it company. Chickens are flock animals right from the get-go and will PEEP loudly and fretfully if on their own, they hate it. Either that or YOU will become it's flockmate, and it will want to be with you all the time, and I DO MEAN all the time! *L*

Baby chicks often do 'change color' once they loose their baby fluff--I sure wish the Americaunas kept their chipmunk stripes and Egyptian eye liner! *G* They start to show their true basic color after a few weeks when they get their first feather, and during the first 1-2 years become more and more beautiful.

Velvet ~:>

After She got it back under her she stopped all that behavior. I have a surgical procedure today and had to spend most of the day yesterday in the hospital getting all the pre surg crap taken care of. Anyway, when I got home I had a total of four fluffy chicks and she seems to be a lot calmer when we lifted her a little to peek at them, she pecked at us but not them. Its a good thing because I don't have any other broody hens right yet.

When is it safe to hold them? I am glad you mentioned the chipmunk color because we have one like that and thats what I was going for hens that will lay the colored eggs. I had one green egg to hatch but one of the two that didn't hatch was green also. I still have hopes of hatching them. by my calendar none of them were due to hatch until today L.

thanks for the info.

CI

Hey, fellow surgery buddy! :( We can comiserate with each other...

Glad she's calmed down, it's always best for mama hen to hatch and raise the chicks, even if it isn't quite as fun for you. :)

It's pretty much safe to hold them as soon as they are walking around on their own and all dried out. They are exhausted at first from hatching, so give them a few hours to rest up. Be REALLY CAREFUL not to drop them--I always handle my chicks on the couch or on a carpeted floor, so they wouldn't have far to fall into a soft surface. The little stinkers can tumble out of your hand so fast it's scary.

Velvet ~:>

I had a big long post on here but I did something and lost it but here are some pics anyway of my new chics, I'm just so proud.

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{{gwi:10494}} Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

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Cute! Congrats!

Congrats! Love the pix!

My chicks are about a week old now and they are to cute for words! The mother hen has a lot of wild game hen in her and she has always been on the mean side, motherhood hasn't changed her at all. but to watch her with her babies is a wonderous thing. she is such a good mother. maybe all hens are like that I haven't had any other experiences so I don't know. I guess some people would say thats just how animals are its instinctive.

to watch her teach them to scratch for food and today we expanded a place for her inside the pen that the other hens are in. the first thing she did was teach them to bathe. She finds bits of food for them then calls to them and the cutest thing is they jump on her back and she lets them she also lets them peck at her face. Which like I said is probably all normal BUT she is so mean to us and the other hens and so naturally motherly with her babies. Its just amazing to us.

CI