Sad Sultan

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Silverlacedmom
Newly Hatched Chick
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Sad Sultan

Post by Silverlacedmom » Fri Apr 07, 2017 3:06 pm

So my parents back down in Texas have my birds and decided to let a hen hatch a few eggs. After about day 13 or so I told them to candle the eggs to see if they were viable. Sure enough only one egg was fertile and developing. My dad was so excited. He babied the momma hen, a goofy goofy white sultan named Scramble. (If you have had sultans you know how goofy they are!!!). So day 21 rolled around and apparently the chick hatched late at night and sadly they found the baby passed away in the coop. My parents are so upset especially my dad that was hand feeding the hen and stuff. Now he knows to make the place where the chicks are being hatched inescapable for chicks...
My mom is so upset she swears never again will they do that! But it's still not as bad as ordering chicks and opening the box to a dozen dead that I did two times before deciding on getting local birds !!!

The Sultan hen, Scramble, kinda walked around and made strange noises , my parents reading it as sulking or sadness??? Do hens really know death of chicks???
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Happy
Poultry Guru - pullet level
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Sad Sultan

Post by Happy » Fri Apr 07, 2017 3:26 pm

When my little OEGB had 6 chicks almost 2years ago I had promised her chicks to someone but said I wanted her to have a chance to be a mom first. I had read that 4 weeks was about the average time and the folks that were taking them had 2 kids that wanted to raise the chicks as well. So at 4 weeks I let them come get them. I will never do that again. My sweet little hen acted so depressed and would come up to the house and just stand there with her head hanging. She slept to the point I thought maybe she was actually sick. It went on for about 10 days. Broke my heart! I haven't let her sit on eggs since because I was determined that she would keep what she hatched from now on. She's due to become a mom this weekend :) fingers crossed
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kenya
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Sad Sultan

Post by kenya » Sat Apr 08, 2017 12:23 am

One of my first hens a little black banty I called Walnut, these were my first chickens and I didn't know other chickens might kill the chicks. I went out to the barn to find the chicks dead. She perched on the door and made little mornful sounds for about a week. For sure she was mourning her chicks. I never heard her make that noise before or after.
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