Natural brooded chicks ???

[mrkep]

Today we received our new chicks, 10 Buckeyes, and got them all watered & into their MHP cave, and I got to wondering, wwhen the mama chicken hatches eggs, how do the chicks get water & food? The new arrivals are in the coop with the big chickens and the water & feeder are at big chicken height. If you put baby chick feeder/waterers out, do the big chickens use them and keep the young ones away, or at least fill the chick feeders full of litter, etc.? I have read here that the mama will lead them out & show them how to scratch but I haven't seen the feeder/ water situation addressed.
Just wondering
mrkep

 

[JaeG]

You'll need to keep the chicks fenced off from the older chickens for their safety and to allow them access to food and water (yes, your larger chickens will eat their food and keep them away from it). A broody hen shows her babies just what to do but that's hormones telling her what to do and you need to provide water and food that can be accessed by them (especially water they cannot drown in). A broody will also protect her chicks fiercely from the other hens who are more than capable of killing the chicks, not viewing them as part of the flock yet.