🐓🐓help—— broody hen hatched chicks

[upstater]

To make life easier, the entire flock can be on chick starter.
I would watch that other broody hen. More than one broody hen at a time can lead to jealousy or overly protective moms and they will eliminate baby chicks. I would recommend putting mom and babies in a crate to prevent little causalities.

 

[Matejka]

Move the newly broody to a crate. Leave mama/babies as is. Feed chick starter to ebtire flock. Add additional waterer for babies to access. Chickens had babies long before people had chickens. Mama knows best. IF mama proves to be "bad" (inattentive, ignores babies,tries to hurt/kill babies, aggressive) THEN I would step in. Congratulations on new/free babies.
Also, keep in mind, be prepared, 8-10 weeks from now, what to do with excess cockerels, eat/sell/rehome/separate and keep.

 

[upstater]

Thank you .... I did not

 

[upstater]

Thank you .... I did not

Thank you I did not know that so helpful!

 

[upstater]

Got a picture this morning! So cute!

 

[Ebony Rose]

Your momma hen will dump some feed onto the ground for them, similar to how the rooster tidbits for your girls, she'll tidbit for the babies, you can place a dish under if you feel better about it, but is probably not necessary for food. For water, yes, they'll need something accessible. Don't worry about other birds in the flock trying to push the babies away from food, momma will growl and snarl and peck at anyone that messes with her lil'uns.

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

I went out this morning to feed chickens and I had a hen that kept sitting on eggs and she has hatched three of them plus I think there’s more to hatch.... it’s 35 degrees tonight and I don’t have heat in my coop. What should I do? Do I leave them alone.... more them under a heat lamp? What do they eat and drink? I’m sorry I just don’t know what to do since she hatched them???

Good luck!

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

Got a picture this morning! So cute!

So cute!

 

[ackie]

I second making sure broody mama and mama with chicks dont get into it (or into it with the rest of the flock) as they can be protective.

I personally just set my feeders on the ground instead of getting all new ones and put chick starter in for everyone (though I usually have mom and chicks separate from the flock) because it's not bad for grown birds to eat, but it is important that the chicks only (90% of their diet I think) eat the medicated feed for the meds to work.

If you dont have chick safe waterers, put the unsafe ones up high where they cant get to and/or put rocks in them so the chicks can get out.

I also second making a game plan for cockrells because 50/50 is a myth lol. I mean, its true over the long term but no necessarily for a single clutch

 

[ackie]

Oh and be careful messing with the chicks until you learn what level of protective she is. The birds cant really hurt you (IMO), but I've had a broody rear up and flap her wings aggressively against my legs when I got too close. More startling than anything but not ideal.