Broody hen has chicks! NOW WHAT?

[NewHawaiiChick]

I just checked my little Bantam hen today, as it's day 21 and low and behold there was one little chick nice and dry under her and another hatching as I looked! So exciting! AND HILARIOUS as none of the eggs seem to be hers...the two little peeps were solid black and came out of dark brown large eggs! She also brooded them in a 5 gallon bucket I sat in there one day as I was hauling straw, and all the girls love it. Go figure. Anyway, what do I do now? Do I remove the chicks and put them in my little chick box? Leave them there? We have about 14 other hens and one rooster in our large coop. So exciting!

 

[incubatingisfun]

You should seperate her and the chicks from the flock

 

[darkmatter]

I always let the broody raise the chicks with the flock, she protects them.

 

[NewHawaiiChick]

If you leave them in, how do the chicks get the right food? We feed new chicks the medicated chick feed. They're in a coop and don't free range.

 

[pdsavage]

My last 2 raised the chicks with the flock,did well the hens protected em like crazy mad woman.They eat what ever the hen eats,before the hens took out of the hen house I gave em medicated chick feed.Then when they moved out with the flock it was the flock raiser stuff from the mill.Just give the hens some ostershell or other calcium substitute.

 

[NewHawaiiChick]

Thanks everybody! Little chicks are doing fine. I ended up moving the nest (very carefully!) out of the 5 gallon bucket and into a separate hen house. I knew the chicks couldn't eat or drink anything in the bucket with the hen, so now they are grabbing food out of little dishes and running back under mom. So cute, never seen this side of hatching eggs before.

I also think the sound of chicks in the coop triggered something in some of the other hens as now two other hens are brooding eggs. This is completely new behavior for them! One will peck at you so hard I think she could cause damage if you tried to get those eggs!