Baby chick born in coop

[RValdivia]

One of my hens hatched an egg earlier this month (we think it was earlier this month). She walked out of the coop with the baby for the first time on October 5th. at the time I immediately read a bunch of posts here regarding chicken feed. The mother hen was crushing the adult food to feed the baby. But we then switched everything to medicated starter feed. I read to get oyster shells and sprinkle them around so the older hens can have calcium. But my concern is how do I keep the baby from eating the oyster shells?

Other than switching the food and keeping mom and baby in the coop/run area, we have not intervened with the natural process. The coop/run area is very large - the coop is a converted horse stall and the run is completely protected - 40 feet by 20 feet. The free range in about a 1/2 of an acre fenced off from predators (I've lost hens to coyotes before I set up their sanctuary). As I mention above, my thought was to sprinkle the oyster shells in the area outside the run, but then how do I get the mother hen to get the oyster shells when the baby chick is with her always?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I keep my oyster in the run in a feeder. My chicks don't eat it, nor does my rooster.

Is the chick trying to eat the oyster?

 

[3KillerBs]

I made a feeder for my oystershell and egg shells: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/feeders-and-scoops-from-recycled-bottles.76244/

With a much larger flock I'm going to repurpose a chick feeder so I don't have to refill so often.

Put the feeder up at adult hen height. It's possible that the chick might sample it if it can get up there somehow, but instinct should tell it not to overeat.

 

[RValdivia]

I keep my oyster in the run in a feeder. My chicks don't eat it, nor does my rooster.

Is the chick trying to eat the oyster?

I haven't put any oyster shells out just yet. I wasn't sure how to keep them away from the chick.

Is your feeder hanging so the chick can't reach it or is it on the ground? Will the chick not eat it naturally?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I haven't put any oyster shells out just yet. I wasn't sure how to keep them away from the chick.

Is your feeder hanging so the chick can't reach it or is it on the ground? Will the chick not eat it naturally?

Mine is on the ground. The chicks don't eat it at all. Maybe naturally averted to it? Idk.

You can try to put it out there and watch them for a bit. I've never had an issue, though. My rooster doesn't eat it, either.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have oyster shell out for my hens regardless if there's chicks. I do hang up my dispenser a bit higher than chicks could readily access, but by the time they're tall enough to reach in to eat it, they really shouldn't take more than a few curiosity bites of it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The mother hen was crushing the adult food to feed the baby.

By the time my chicks are two weeks old they are flying up to the elevated feeders to eat. They do not need Mama's help. So, yes, feeding them all an acceptable feed is the best way to go.

But my concern is how do I keep the baby from eating the oyster shells?

You don't. You trust it to not eat enough to harm itself. Chicks, roosters, and non-laying hens may all eat a bite or two, but one bite won't kill them. It's how many total grams of calcium they eat all day, and even that is spread out over a few days.

how do I get the mother hen to get the oyster shells when the baby chick is with her always?

A broody hen is not laying eggs. She does not need the extra calcium.