Broody hen with chicks

[doublecrossranch]

How do I get my hen to stop dumping the chick feed? I made the mistake of using mini pine flakes so the food is getting wasted.

 

[DobieLover]

How do I get my hen to stop dumping the chick feed? I made the mistake of using mini pine flakes so the food is getting wasted.

Broodies teach their chicks how to scratch. She's going to keep dumping it.
I made a mash out of the chick feed and kept it suspended at chest height for the hen. She would take clumps of food out and drop it for the chicks.
Why are they in that tub?

 

[doublecrossranch]

Broodies teach their chicks how to scratch. She's going to keep dumping it.
I made a mash out of the chick feed and kept it suspended at chest height for the hen. She would take clumps of food out and drop it for the chicks.
Why are they in that tub?

The coop isn’t setup right for how tiny the babies are. Plus a huge mice problem I’m trying to tackle in the coop and an asshole rooster. Oh and the weather went from 80 to 20 with snow. I’ll move them back to coop in 2 weeks.
What is the ratio of food and water for the mash?

 

[DobieLover]

The coop isn’t setup right for how tiny the babies are. Plus a huge mice problem I’m trying to tackle in the coop and an asshole rooster. Oh and the weather went from 80 to 20 with snow. I’ll move them back to coop in 2 weeks.
What is the ratio of food and water for the mash?

Just make it the consistency of oatmeal.

 

[doublecrossranch]

Broodies teach their chicks how to scratch. She's going to keep dumping it.
I made a mash out of the chick feed and kept it suspended at chest height for the hen. She would take clumps of food out and drop it for the chicks.
Why are they in that tub?

Also I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never had a broody hen. I’ve only had chickens for a year. I don’t know what the setup should look like.

 

[DobieLover]

Also I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never had a broody hen. I’ve only had chickens for a year. I don’t know what the setup should look like.

Like this. The mother will protect the chicks. But she needs a safe place to take them at night to nest with them on the ground. If you have mice, you don't have a safe place for her out with the flock.