Barn yard chicks

[Duhonmommie]

I have a hen wandering around with 2 chicks. They seem to find safety in my buck barn. When should I encourage her to move to the run with them? Or should I just let her continue to free range with them? She's never lived in my coop. She and 2 "sisters" found me after hurricane Ida last year and have hung around. (Yes, I tried to find their owner.) She and 1 sister are still here, and get along with my flock, but have never moved into the run/coop.

 

[azygous]

You aren't going o be able to tame these feral chickens if they've never lived in your coop. Consider them wild animals with all the risks involved. They obviously don't consider themselves part of your flock, only gleaning tangential benefits such as proximity to food. This probably isn't the first brood this hen has raised on the fly. Try to trust her to know what she's doing.

 

[Duhonmommie]

Will I be able to eventually move the 2 chicks into the run/coop?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It sounds like you want to keep the chicks with your flock but not the feral hens. Take the chicks from the hen and brood them yourself. Handle the integration yourself. If you leave them with the hen, she will teach them to be feral.

Or lock them in their own coop/run for a few months and try to tame the hens.