Chick adoption by my broody

[Binos1984]

Hi there!
I'm looking for advice.
I have a broody barred rock hen who has been broody for a few weeks now - I haven't been able to break her broodiness. So what I've done is bought 5 3-day old chicks and put them under her last night.
I kept close watch and she seems to have accepted them. They are all snuggly under their new momma and things seem ok.
I'm wondering how I'll be able to tell if she's showing them how to eat and drink - and if I should separate her and the chicks from the rest.
Any advice is great. Thank you!

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Wow, she ought to be a good momma. Not every hen will let you put chicks under her whenever.
And yes, you should separate her and chicks from the others. They may try to peck at the chicks. Broodys do some crazy things when they get stressed.
A dog crate should be fine until you can find a suitable spot. Feed and water are close to the chicks that way, too.

 

[Binos1984]

Wow, she ought to be a good momma. Not every hen will let you put chicks under her whenever.
And yes, you should separate her and chicks from the others. They may try to peck at the chicks. Broodys do some crazy things when they get stressed.
A dog crate should be fine until you can find a suitable spot. Feed and water are close to the chicks that way, too.

Thank you!

I was afraid of separating them because of the reintegration. When and how can I do that?

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

Whenever you like. I would grab the hen first, and put her in the crate. Then the chicks. If you try to get the chicks first, she could try to peck your hand and accidentally peck the chick in it, too. Like I said, broodys do crazy thing when they're stressed.

 

[andreanar]

I would wall off a part of the coop with wire or netting, and keep the broody and babes in there. That way you don't have to worry about any re-intro later as the others can still see them.

 

[Fanci Feathers Marans]

I would wall off a part of the coop with wire or netting, and keep the broody and babes in there. That way you don't have to worry about any re-intro later as the others can still see them.

Thats a good idea!

 

[Binos1984]

Awesome! Thx for the advice.
I had a big wire dog crate that I've put in the corner of the coop. That way, like you said, they all see each other but are safe.

 

[SoCalClucker]

Congrats! My broody adopted 6 two-day chicks, and it's wonderful, isn't it?

I agree with the others, they will need to be isolated for a little while from the rest of the flock, even just a short time. It'll make it easier for the chicks to stay safe, and using something where they can all still see each other will help them integrate into the main flock.

For me, I kept them together in their on mini run inside the main run for a little less than a week. They really started getting stir crazy, so we let them out for an hour or so at a time, and as they seemed to all get along fine, we gradually increased the amount of time. Now, about 11 days in, thy are out all day and only locked in their mini run at night. There is still an area where the chicks can run to where the big girls won't fit, but for the most part they are all out together.

Hope that helps! Pics from this am:

 

[Binos1984]

It really is wonderful! Thanks everyone for your advice.

Here they are, happily