Chook Me!

Can you reunite baby chicks with their mothers?

We removed baby chicks from their mother because the other hens began bullying her and the babies. But they seem to just be sleeping and not eating? Will the mother accept them back or are there any ways to make them eat without her presence? They're about a week old.

Public Comments

1. You need to have a heat lamp on them to keep them warm. 100 what bulb about 16 inches above them. Dip their beaks in water a few times ( room temp. ) and show them where the food is. You can try to give them back to the hen if you can put them in a separate area where the other hens won't hurt them. Try with just one chick and see how she behaves, if everything seems fine then put the rest with her. If you don't have a separate area put a circle of fencing ( or fence in a corner of your coop ) with spaces large enough for the chicks to get through and large chickens to stay out. Put the chick starter food and water for them inside the fence. That way they will have somewhere to run if they start getting bullied and can eat and drink without the pecking order of the large chickens.