Broody hatched 4 chicks- now what

[Gwhite3678]

I just had my first broody hen successfully hatch 4 chicks. They are in a sequestered pen in the coop with their own food and water. All the flock can see them through the chicken wire.
How long should she stay in there with the chicks?
Im pretty confident she will protect them from the other hens (9) and my rooster as she was having no part in my trying to get a better look and turned into a mini lion

 

[Peaches Lee]

I'd wait until the chicks are older. Let the momma have time to bond with her kids without having the stress of protecting them. Chicks seem to grow up pretty fast with mom, so I don't think you'll have long to wait.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just had my first broody hen successfully hatch 4 chicks. They are in a sequestered pen in the coop with their own food and water. All the flock can see them through the chicken wire.
How long should she stay in there with the chicks?
Im pretty confident she will protect them from the other hens (9) and my rooster as she was having no part in my trying to get a better look and turned into a mini lion

You will find that we all do different things, many different things work. I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and usually don't lock them up unless the main coop is so crowded that I want her to use a shelter out in the run. I generally let mine mingle with the flock as soon as the hen brings them off of the nest. Others lock them up for a few days before they let them mingle. Some isolate them until the hen weans them and the person has to handle integration.

It sounds like your coop may be a decent size, which is good. Is it elevated with a ramp? What does your pop door look like? Those can provide different challenges.

My coop is at ground level but my pop door is about 12" above the coop floor and the ground outside. The baby chicks can't handle that so I use pavers to make some steps they can hop up and down on both sides. I prefer steps instead of ramps like most people. I find the hen often goes to the top of the ramp and calls the chicks. They rush to her on the ground and don't know to go to the base of the ramp to go up.

My broody hens tend to keep the chicks on the coop floor for a couple of days before they take them outside. I have food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them. For the first couple of days they seem to spend a lot of time under her keeping warm. But after a couple of days they become very active and she takes them outside. After that mine take them outside every morning and they spend all day outside. She brings them back in at night to sleep on the floor of the coop. My nests are high enough that they cannot get back in them so she just settles down on the coop floor.

Something closer to what you are doing. When the main coop is getting crowded I put the hen and chicks in a shelter out in the run and leave them locked in there for two nights. Then I turn them loose to mingle with the rest of the flock. After spending two nights in there the broody takes them to that shelter to sleep so yours should return to the coop. The shelter is right at ground level, no ramps or steps.

One problem keeping food and water on the coop floor is that the chickens like to scratch. They bury the water in bedding. And if I put food out in a new spot the others think it is a special treat, they wipe it out, even if it is exactly the same feed they regularly eat. Having them in your pen may make it easier to keep the food and water available and clean. But the broody hen and the chicks like to scratch too.

Some warnings. I killed a chick once when picking up a broody hen. The chick had crawled up under her wing and I crushed the chick when I picked the hen up. I'll still pick a broody up if I need to but I'm a whole lot more careful now.

And what I consider to be the biggest danger in isolating a hen and her chicks. Make sure the chicks cannot escape and get away from Momma's protection. If they mingle with the rest of the flock and she cannot protect them they are in danger. I've never had a dominant rooster threaten to harm a chick, I've had a few help Momma take care of their babies. Some people have though, you never know how they will act. I have had others threaten chicks but my broodies have always protected their chicks. Again, other people have had broody hens that will not protect their chicks. You never know for sure what will happen.

Congratulations on the hatch and good luck.

 

[Gwhite3678]

You will find that we all do different things, many different things work. I let my broody hens hatch with the flock and usually don't lock them up unless the main coop is so crowded that I want her to use a shelter out in the run. I generally let mine mingle with the flock as soon as the hen brings them off of the nest. Others lock them up for a few days before they let them mingle. Some isolate them until the hen weans them and the person has to handle integration.

It sounds like your coop may be a decent size, which is good. Is it elevated with a ramp? What does your pop door look like? Those can provide different challenges.

My coop is at ground level but my pop door is about 12" above the coop floor and the ground outside. The baby chicks can't handle that so I use pavers to make some steps they can hop up and down on both sides. I prefer steps instead of ramps like most people. I find the hen often goes to the top of the ramp and calls the chicks. They rush to her on the ground and don't know to go to the base of the ramp to go up.

My broody hens tend to keep the chicks on the coop floor for a couple of days before they take them outside. I have food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them. For the first couple of days they seem to spend a lot of time under her keeping warm. But after a couple of days they become very active and she takes them outside. After that mine take them outside every morning and they spend all day outside. She brings them back in at night to sleep on the floor of the coop. My nests are high enough that they cannot get back in them so she just settles down on the coop floor.

Something closer to what you are doing. When the main coop is getting crowded I put the hen and chicks in a shelter out in the run and leave them locked in there for two nights. Then I turn them loose to mingle with the rest of the flock. After spending two nights in there the broody takes them to that shelter to sleep so yours should return to the coop. The shelter is right at ground level, no ramps or steps.

One problem keeping food and water on the coop floor is that the chickens like to scratch. They bury the water in bedding. And if I put food out in a new spot the others think it is a special treat, they wipe it out, even if it is exactly the same feed they regularly eat. Having them in your pen may make it easier to keep the food and water available and clean. But the broody hen and the chicks like to scratch too.

Some warnings. I killed a chick once when picking up a broody hen. The chick had crawled up under her wing and I crushed the chick when I picked the hen up. I'll still pick a broody up if I need to but I'm a whole lot more careful now.

And what I consider to be the biggest danger in isolating a hen and her chicks. Make sure the chicks cannot escape and get away from Momma's protection. If they mingle with the rest of the flock and she cannot protect them they are in danger. I've never had a dominant rooster threaten to harm a chick, I've had a few help Momma take care of their babies. Some people have though, you never know how they will act. I have had others threaten chicks but my broodies have always protected their chicks. Again, other people have had broody hens that will not protect their chicks. You never know for sure what will happen.

Congratulations on the hatch and good luck.

I added a photo that shows the pop door which does utilize a ramp so you think they will get stuck outside potentially?
I do have rest boxes ground level so they could bunker in there I can have food/water on coop floor but like you said it will likely get buried in shaving and/or knocked over from scratching so I guess I’m not sure what to do haha.
I do have two pullets that I’m wanting to into that same isolation pen to integrate into the flock as well since they are pretty big and in the brooder still but I don’t want to rush mom out due to that either…

At what age do you think the ramp will not be an issue?

 

[Ridgerunner]

At what age do you think the ramp will not be an issue?

I don't use ramps so I have no direct experience but I do read a lot of stories on this forum. I'd think they will learn to use it in just a few days but just be out there at bed time for a few days until you are comfortable they are regularly making it in. I do that with my steps.