Bantam laid under the shed, chicks hatched today. Suggestions?

[Coralietg]

I noticed a few weeks a go that we'd stopped getting eggs from Pigeon. It had been at least a week, so by the time I figured out she was going under the shed, I felt bad blocking it off in case she had eggs under there.

Turns out she did, I heard peeping this morning.

Where she has them, a snake could easily get in. We have big rat snakes around here, and I'm actually surprised she didn't get eaten. To get to where she is, my husband would need to cut through the shed floor. I feel bad leaving them though. Should we get them out, and put them all in a brooder box? This is the first broody hatch we've had.

 

[RonC]

In a few days she should bring her new family out for a stroll. You could watch and block it off then so she can't get back in and relocate them to a nest box or leave them be. Mama chickens have protected their broods fo a long time against snakes and other pests. I would let mom take care of them over putting them in a brooder and having to reintroduce them to the flock later.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Broodies have been hatching and raising chicks like that for thousands of years. You are dealing with living animals so yes, sometimes bad things can happen. But just because something bad can maybe possibly happen does not mean it absolutely always without fail will 100% of the time.

Personally I’d leave her alone and see what she does. If you want, you can block off under that shed so she can’t get back under there after she brings them out, but there is a fair chance she’ll take them to the coop and sleep with them on the coop floor at night.

If she settles somewhere for the night that you are not comfortable with, after dark move her and the chicks to the coop and lock the door overnight. She will probably take them back to the coop at night after that. Probably. No guarantees since they are living animals.

 

[Coralietg]

She came out, I spotted her eating and ran outside to see. She had 6 little babies following her, but I spotted a chicken running around with a dead half eaten baby.

I have 30+ other chickens that are going to be a problem for her and her tiny babies.

 

[RonC]

In that case you might want to go ahead and move the whole family to a seperate enclosure next to the main one if possible. I would let mom take care of them though. A lot easier on you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In that case you might want to go ahead and move the whole family to a seperate enclosure next to the main one if possible. I would let mom take care of them though. A lot easier on you.

I agree with this. It is the prudent thing to do.

I don’t know how that hen came to have a dead chick. It’s possible she killed it. It’s also possible she raided the abandoned nest and found a dead chick there that did not make it. They will often eat dead chicks or even grown chickens. But yeah, I’d separate them at least for a few days if I saw that.

 

[Coralietg]

I moved mother and babies to an old brooder box last night. They look great this morning. Let them all out for half an hour with me right next to them while the hen dust bathed and scratched around.

Thank you so much for all the replies!