Howdy!
You are doing fine, you just have some perfectly understandable misunderstandings. I blame the government and the lack of education about livestock to the general permies, as well as access to reasonable educational information about How To Farm.
(It's different from my usual "I blame the government, and aliens, and Taxol, and (x) because I actually do blame the government for this.)
(Feel free to skip this section. It's good advice, but you may not need it. I had actually not done some of these things recently, and writing them out made me realize how much time has passed.)
You may want to contact your
local Agricultural Agent to see what assistance they can give you. Most countries have a system where there is someone you can contact for information on how and what limitations there are on growing your own food. It's a great starting point if you are truly confused, and even if you just need a few pointers on what problems may be specific to your area.
If there's a local 4H or Future Farmers of America, or some other agricultural training for kids, you might ask if you can come to a few outside of school meetings, or make an appointment to talk with the instructor. There's a lot of really good information passed along in those classes and most communities don't use the resources as they should. The information is there. Just finding someone else who is also involved in doing what you do means you can pool information and maybe start a support group (I know - with what free time?).
And thank you for the mental/long distance kick in the thought process. I need to look into doing those things! I haven't been in touch with a lot of my "sources of information" in a bit, so letting them know I'm still here might be helpful!
(And we're back!)
First, I want to say that I know people who have been raising poultry for decades who still run into situations where they have no reference or idea what to do. Raising livestock is a constant learning process. I am working with my flock, reading what I can, talking with other poultry-minded people, constantly trying to keep abreast of what is going on in the world of poultry and what new techniques, theories, and developments are appearing.
All that means is that I have a lot of experience raising poultry and researching the critters, but understand too well that no one is ever considered an expert because we are all regularly bamboozled by birds.
I have my favorite writers that I prefer, but do advise that you seek out any and all
chicken reference material you can find. I'll help on this where I can by offering websites or author's names, but I tend to not push on this, so feel free to DM me about it.
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First, I want to let you know that much of what I say here is probably controversial, there will be people with different opinions and facts to back those opinions up. Some of this is purely from my opinion and experiences and has no other basis. Your situations may be, and probably are, very different. Your experiences will be different. Please adjust any advice, assistance, or recommendation with that in mind.
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I will not allow a chicken to set a nest (go broody) with anything other than either a token 3 marked eggs, or various egg-like things until they are at least 2 years old.
My reasons are basic.
Chickens die randomly. They can be killed from eating ice in the summer, or sit outside the coop in the winter and loose all their toes. As critters go, chickens are not the smartest, nor are they the most survival oriented. If a chicken can make it to 2 years of age *and* be of a reasonable "quality" (i.e. I want that bird's genes in my next generation), then I let them set on actual eggs (that I have insured are either theirs or some other non-broody bird I want to keep the genetics of). The age is important, as is the willingness to set for the entire time it takes.
Even birds who go broody regularly might not be a "good mother". Those are different things in a chicken's mind. Even hens who are "good mothers" will have a point past which they are not at all a mom. It may have something to do with the stress of a hen being tasked with all those little creatures constantly wanting something, or it may be they reach a point where the switch flips and they wander off because they're done mom-ing. I don't know and haven't figured it out.
Part of the problem is that the "broody instinct" has been bred out of even most heirloom breeds, and part is that the "broody" part isn't connected to the "mothering" part. As far as I can tell, they are two different things. I'm trying to bring them both back in my flock, but I know it will take a lot of work and a lot of patience.
You already know this, but I will re-enforce it .
Feed is important. Higher levels of protein and the types of protein available are very important. Certain vitamins and minerals are essential to growing chicks and the laying hen. Layers should be getting as balanced a diet as possible. And should have access to calcium free-choice. This is an even bigger problem in the summer, especially where things get hot.
I supplement an "All Flock" feed because the geese eat out of the chicken feed and have different nutritional needs.
Try not to buy more feed or biodegradable supplements than you will use in a reasonable amount of time: bagged feeds are to be assumed to have a shelf life of 30 days, non-processed items are going to degrade on different schedules. If the feed/food item doesn't smell right, looks off, or otherwise isn't what you would expect, it may not be healthy to give to the birds, at least as their only food source. Dry, non-biodegradable items:
Diatomaceous Earth, oyster shell, non-processed charcoal, etc. should be stored safely and where they can't be adulterated. I use plastic totes and hope to move to metal lock-lidded cans in time.
Always read labels. Make sure there isn't anything in the product that you don't understand or agree with. You are doing that with your birds, now. But again - this is restating the obvious.
As I learned with my recent gosling/chicken fostering, there are irreconcilable differences between adults and chicks that can be difficult to arrange.
I had to hang the food and water much earlier than I would have thought necessary if I had only chicks, and there were some other problems that are still being worked out.
I eventually moved my "problematic, though very motherly" hen outside with the gosling and she left for the far reaches within two days. If the gosling had been a chick, it would have been fledging and more or less ready for Mom to go, so I still count it as a win.
My hen also, in teaching the gosling about dust baths and how to scratch, knocked over the feeder and filled the waterer with saw dust on an at least daily basis. If I ever need to do something similar again, I'll start by suspending the water and feed (even if it's at low levels) and figure out how to give them more room.
As I have stated in other comments, I don't think there's a problem in adding chicks to a hen's clutch, especially if she accepts them. If the chicks look healthy to you, and act like a "normal" chick would be expected to, there isn't as large a potential for disease as many people think. Yes, disease can be a factor, but the Big Problems are noticeable by ethical chicken handlers and acted on. Since selling chicks is a long term relationship and it takes so much time to establish yourself (like selling on "grown out" birds, your reputation as a "grower" is on the line), doing anything like passing a disease along is Bad Pookie.
Your hen has no reference, other then her own instincts, as to what to do. She's never seen or experienced hen motherhood, nor has reference for it. You can try reading her the applicable chapters of your favorite reference, but I can vouch that it's not a winning strategy. Without any experience in mothering her brood, she's probably doing the best she can, which isn't
enough. The sad thing is, more likely than not, she'll be a better mother next time. but these chicks are her learning experience.
While it is true that it's a hard thing to learn, and probably better for the chicks if you take them away from her and brood them yourself (and it might be a reasonable solution considering that you've lost 1/2 of the clutch so far), the educational aspect for her is important. Since she does still mother them, by letting them warm up against her, she's still trying. If you want to try to remove them, putting a heat lamp nearby and seeing what the chicks, and Mom, do might help you to make a decision.
Being without water means they won't eat. It's probably the biggest problem I can put a finger on. As long as water is available, they will eat and drink.
We were under the impression that these chicks would be happier and healthier being raised by mom, that mom would be fulfilled, and we would be less stressed. So far, 3 are dead so they certainly arent healthier. Mom may be fulfilled, but also seems to hate being trapped in the coop all day. And we are very much stressed. Probably more so than when they were in the brooder because at least in there we knew they weren’t going to get trampled, get cold or eat too many new random things at once. I know people say hens can raise chicks just fine without human intervention, but does “just fine” mean some live, some die and nobody is around to worry about it, or does “just fine” mean things go well and chicks survive? I’m starting to wonder if we would be better off using a brooder next time or if we got lucky with all surviving last time and just need to accept dying chicks as a normal part of this process. It hurts having a chick die in your hands after being gone all day feeling like you should be doing more. But then I do more and they die anyway... so I guess I dont know what to do!
Okay. I know you're tired and angry and frustrated. I know it's been stressful and awful. I know that coming to us, here, helps. It's okay. Bad Things happen.
Deep breath.
Chickens are happy being chickens. Being chickens means they have access to more than adequate food and water, and they run around free. They have
shelter when they want it and immensities of nesting space. There are no predators, and everyone is happy and joyful.
It's never that way, completely. There are always things that will impinge and you have to adjust to allow your chickens to be chickens in whatever way you can.
I have no idea what your residential conditions are. I know most people aren't able to have the kind of set-up I have nor the neighbors, who also have chickens, and therefore the more relaxed and tolerant attitude than you get in many places. Being in a community in the countryside means that I can take steps to protect from predators (feral dogs, bobcats, feral cats, raptors, snakes, feral hogs, raccoons, ...) while still allowing the birds to wander the backyard and hop the
fence into the back-backyard or front
yard. I don't have limitations where I have to keep them in their coop for the majority of the time. That helps.
I have also lost flocks (murdered at night by some of the predators mentioned), so I know that pain as well.
Having chickens that are raised by chickens and able to continue the process is the end goal for most people who are trying for self-sufficiency. It's hard to get there, though. (That's the part they never tell you.) This is the first year I have had any chick hatch and survive for long enough to be raised by it's mother, and then integrate into the flock. I've been doing this (the chicken thing) for about 15 years (I would say 20, but there were a few years between flocks for reasons). This year is the first time any sort of self-sufficient chick raising happened.
I get it. It's painful and mean, and hard. I also understand that my hens need to have the background and experience and instinct to get there. I have one hen, right now, that wants to brood, out of the 22 hens in the flock.
I constantly debate buying an incubator and just take care of expanding my flock on an as needed basis that way. I might end up there, eventually, for situations where I want chicks to
sell on, but I keep coming back to the original purpose of this flock. It'll take time and work and there will be heartbreak. Eventually, I will have more hens with the drive and ability to mother their chicks. I have to cling to that.
You aren't alone. There's a large community of chicken keepers and poultry keepers. We're all trying to figure out how to do what we want to do and how to get there safely and happily with our birds as healthy as possible and happy peepers everywhere. You'll get there, too.
It's not you. It's not even aliens, Taxol, or Big Ag (though they do have a part).
This is an awful educational experience, but it's one you are learning so very much in.
You are asking all the right questions and dealing with all the right problems.
You are doing fine and good things.
It will get better. I promise.
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