9wk old babies with momma hen

[Lover duck duck]

So my broody hen hatched 4 babies 9 weeks ago they have all their feathers and I keep them with their momma in the same coop with all the others but in an area I can enclose them in since my coop is 10’x 12’ but I was wondering if it would be ok to let them out with the rest of the flock as they like staying out with their momma but they don't like to go outside cause they are scared. I tried a letting them a couple times and it seems like the other hens eat all of their food and I don’t know what to do about that if I leave them out with their momma and the rest of the flock all day. At the moment I just let them out and close the small coop door so the other hens don’t come inside the coop from outside and leave them in with their momma inside to run all around the coop half of the day. Any suggestions?

 

[Debbie292d]

I would put them all on all-flock crumbles so it doesn't matter who eats whose food, and then put out about 3 feeders and 3 waterers so no matter where the little ones go, if they're chased off from one, they can go to another. You'd need to put a dish of oyster shell out for the hens as all flock is higher protein, lower calcium. We feed Kalmbach's Flockmaker crumbles to day old chicks to the old ones, even the ducks.

That momma should be weaning them any day now, so good to get them exposed to how to run from bullies etc. on their own as she's not going to help after that.

 

[Lover duck duck]

I would put them all on all-flock crumbles so it doesn't matter who eats whose food, and then put out about 3 feeders and 3 waterers so no matter where the little ones go, if they're chased off from one, they can go to another. You'd need to put a dish of oyster shell out for the hens as all flock is higher protein, lower calcium. We feed Kalmbach's Flockmaker crumbles to day old chicks to the old ones, even the ducks.

That momma should be weaning them any day now, so good to get them exposed to how to run from bullies etc. on their own as she's not going to help after that.

Sounds like a good idea. Thank you so much.