Broody Hen hatched last Th! Still sitting tight what do I do!!!

[CAjerseychick]

Hey all so I have been posting about our first Broody who hatched out 4 chicks last thursday in a nest box... they had some adventures along the way (my daughter took them inside over the weekend in a dog crate, then I moved them back to coop last night, but now they made it back to the dog crate in the run, its filled with straw and has food and water)--
I was alittle disturbed this AM when I found one chick stuck (its head was protruding out from a crack it was trying to squeeze thru, instead of using the exit ramp like the others) a few feet away from Mama, who was sitting in the straw in the dogcrate next to the coop with other chicks.... Just sitting tight, she did not get up to help the chick or anything....
My question is-- Hen only gets up once or twice a day to poop and then goes back and sits down with her chicks (it started raining last night but her behavior really hasnt changed except she stays down out of the nest box to accomodate the chicks)... Is this normal behavior?

Also I am leaving town again for work tommorrow night back late in 2 days... am thinking to leave Hen in dog crate (door is open) vs trying to move them back into coop since the stuck chick situation-- the Flock has been down around the crate all AM (the big waterer and bowls of AM mash are right next to it, they all seem to be ignoring them....

 

[Judy]

She should be taking them to food and water by now, though she will spend part of the day with them under her as well. I'd suggest some dry chick feed be available as moistened mash may spoil before you are able to replenish it. Be sure it's chick feed and all layer feed has been removed. The mama will do fine eating chick feed for a month or two, or, actually, even longer, with a calcium source.

 

[CAjerseychick]

She should be taking them to food and water by now, though she will spend part of the day with them under her as well. I'd suggest some dry chick feed be available as moistened mash may spoil before you are able to replenish it. Be sure it's chick feed and all layer feed has been removed. The mama will do fine eating chick feed for a month or two, or, actually, even longer, with a calcium source.

THx, they have been eating (we have a bowl of dry gamebird starter in the dog crate with them)-- its been pouring rain all day I think that is why she is hunkered down over them-- my concern is that when ever she goes outside they try to follow her and one invariabley gets lost or stuck somewhere....
We have a bit of all purpose poultry feed up in a feeder, but the chicks would really have to work to get to it.... and there is oyster shell in a bowl for my other hens....