Baby chicks raised with flock or seperate

[Kmarkee]

Hello.... I’m a first time broody hen mom and I’m wondering if and when my eggs hatch can I let the chicks free range like I do my older chickens? I have a coop (8x10)and an attached run about 10x12. I usually let my chickens ( 1 rooster & 8 hens) out around 11 to free range until dark. I opted not to move my broody hen out of the regular coop. She has a dark corner under the roosting boxes and the other hens are leaving her alone. My question is when the chicks are born should I lock all my chickens in or open the door as usual. Will the mother take the chicks in and out as usual. I have a smaller coop I could move them to but I have 6 chicks in it that I hatched in the incubator that will be around 3 weeks old when the chicks are born. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve read mixed reviews online. Help!

 

[Rooster G]

Let them all be together. Mom will take care of the little ones.

 

[chickens really]

Hello..They will be fine. I provide a bowl of Chick feed under a tree close to the Coop for Momma to supplement her Chicks when they are out..I also toss a bit on the ground for them too pick for. Plus I provide water..

 

[Kmarkee]

Ok thanks that’s what I was hoping to hear I didn’t want to keep them all in because they love to be let out and I thought the older hens might be less likely to mess with the little ones if they had plenty of room to run. I have 30 acres and they pretty much roam as they please until dark.

 

[lilmillefleur]

You may want to switch to an all flock/flock raiser feed with free choice oyster shells if you haven't already. All flock is a safe feed for all chickens including roosters, hens, non laying hens and baby chicks.

 

[Kmarkee]

I haven’t yet but I plan to closer to the arrival of the chicks. They have about 1 1/2 left before hatch

 

[stuckinthecity]

I wish more people that advised mom to stay with the flock throughout the whole process would post pictures. Unless the broody is an alpha hen she'll have a hard time protecting all of her chicks from everyone. I only have 2 hens that I can let raise chicks with the others...everyone else would have been bullied and their chicks killed. My flock is in a 10x30 run attached to a 10x10 dog kennel. I have 8 hens and 1 rooster. I don't even have aggressive breeds.
And I rather not have to spend the money applying wire mesh around the 10x30 perimeter.
For me, separating the hen to sit and hatch is the most efficient way to get them started. If the mother is higher on the pecking order (but not alpha) I add chicks and the hen back to the flock at 3-4 weeks. They're quick enough to jump out of the way when the others try to peck them. Plus they've been spending time eating and relaxing those past 3 weeks rather than running from other hens...
I have two 6x8 pens next the run I use for isolating hens with chicks. The flock can still see and interact with the mother, so no issues when you merge them.
Hen gets disturbed less this way too bc you're not having to remove freshly laid eggs from her nest daily.

 

[alexa009]

I agree with @stuckinthecity, the chicken that is low in the pecking order will most likely get bullied by the other hens and will even get to the point where she gets chased from her chicks. I know one of my low hens would never be able to go broody because sometimes I have problems with the higher hens chasing them out of the coop just when they go in to lay their egg. Maybe as long as the alpha hen isn't a broody breed and isn't protective of the eggs then things might turn out all right. Putting the broody hen in a cage with her chicks sounds better.

 

[Kmarkee]

I haven’t seemed to have any problems with that. My hens are not bothering the broody at all. They are laying in a different nesting box. I have a separate coop that is attached to the same run in the other side but I just hatched 6 chicks in the incubator and I need to put them in it because they don’t have a mother hen to protect her. My hen is pretty high in the pecking order so I think she will be fine. Only time will tell how it goes. When I let them out to free range there’s plenty room for them to have their own space. They don’t go back to the coop except to sleep and lay eggs. I’m hoping it will work out cause I don’t have a backup plan unless I try to put them in with the four week old chicks.

 

[stuckinthecity]

I would definitely not put them with the other chicks.
Good luck! Hope to see pictures.
I feel comfortable with your situation knowing that your hen is near the top of the pecking order- like I said this usually determines whether or not you will have success.