We have a hen who laid five eggs and two of them hatched about two weeks ago. The hen and babies were doing fine,but all of a sudden the hen started to get out of the coop area,we dont how. Anyways my question is why would she leave the coop with her two babies and forget about the other eggs? Please help me, we came home from being gone only acouple of days and the mohter and babies are no where around.
First of all, a hen with chicks has her first responsibility to the hatched chicks, food and water, and the unhatched eggs are unimportant, since they did not hatch all at the same time. So they leave the nest when the babies hatch and go for food. She wanted to take the babies to a place away from the nest and eggs.(and do you have other chickens, so that she would want to keep the chicks from harm?) But they do not know the dangers of outside the pen, and I am so sorry that they may have met with tragedy. Always a hope that they have taken shelter somewhere else, and she might bring them home when they are larger. Or is it possible that someone has taken them?? A hen and chicks is pretty irresistible if wandering outside ones property???? A sad experience. CJR
By Cjeanr on Monday, May 28, 2001 - 02:45 am: