broody hen help

[BarredRocks3]

Hi y'all, I had a hen sitting on 7 eggs and 6 six of them have hatched out so far. Now that she's finally got her babies I'm wondering what to do now. I have chick crumble and plenty of chick friendly founts but no idea what to do with the mama and little guys. Currently I have them locked in our tiny coop until they can walk around with ease but I was wondering if they can stay in the coop and the run with the other chickens or if they'd be better off roaming the yard?

 

[ChickzNSilkiez]

I would keep your hen and babies separate from the group if you can do that. Less stress and prevents injury. Even a week makes a big difference in strength. Congrats!

 

[IdahoChickenGuy]

I wouldn't put them with the other chickens quite yet. I would keep my hen and chicks in a shelter separate from the rest of the flock for a few days and then start letting the hen take her chicks into the yard and show them how to forage. If you only have one coop then some other shelters that would work great are a large dog crate or dog house, any kind of wooden cargo box, I have even heard of people using a 50 gallon drum cut in half or with one end cut off as a shelter for newborns. If no other shelter options were available then my primary focus would be one the chicks. I wouldn't want the chicks encountering the rest of the flock until they are at least a week old. Hopefully this helps, best of luck with your chicks!