Broody Hen

[JFF12]

I’ve got a broody BO (she’s only been laying since January and I read that’s rare to be broody so young)…anyway… She’s in one of the nest boxes I built which is about 10”-12” off the ground. My question is: once/if she hatches eggs, is that too high for her little ones to follow her out once she leaves the nest? I was thinking of putting some kind of step in there or a ramp but I don’t want to bother her. Also, my chickens stay locked up from dark until I get home from work the next day (usually around 4-5). What’s the best way to ensure her little ones will have enough food and water during that time? My feeder and waterer are too tall for them so I thought I could just use the ones from the brooder and sit them in the corner but I was afraid of her dad/aunts eating it all. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[mcdze]

if you dont have a seperate safe place for them and want to keep them, id get a box set up and brood them yourself ..otherwise you got alot of variables there and at first glance it doesnt look ideal, probably will result in zero chicks making it ..so dont feel bad about taking them from mama .. she'll get over it in a week and hate them lol ..

 

[Shadrach]

I’ve got a broody BO (she’s only been laying since January and I read that’s rare to be broody so young)…anyway… She’s in one of the nest boxes I built which is about 10”-12” off the ground. My question is: once/if she hatches eggs, is that too high for her little ones to follow her out once she leaves the nest? I was thinking of putting some kind of step in there or a ramp but I don’t want to bother her. Also, my chickens stay locked up from dark until I get home from work the next day (usually around 4-5). What’s the best way to ensure her little ones will have enough food and water during that time? My feeder and waterer are too tall for them so I thought I could just use the ones from the brooder and sit them in the corner but I was afraid of her dad/aunts eating it all. Any ideas? Thanks!

For feeding and water something like you can see in the picture below, once the chicks start to hatch, not before. For the one with water, put some washed rocks in it to prevent the chicks from drowning.

Put the bowls in the nest box. They'll get tipped over and the chicks will poop in them so a daily chore is to put fresh water and feed in. Feed will get spilt/kicked and pecked on to the box floor. Don't worry about it unless you see ants moving in.
There isn't much one can do about the food sharing, or the mess on the floor.
Make a screen, a piece of hardware cloth in a frame that you can fix to the front of the nest box. Fit this on the nest box overnight and remove when you get back from work/let the rest of the chickens out of the coop.
You will have to make a ramp. It will need to be quite wide with a shallow gradient. You can make steps but the steps will need to be something a chick can hop easily; treads at half inch height should work. You will need to check that the chicks can return to the nest with mum for the first couple of days.

 

[Shadrach]

Do not take the chicks from their mother. The whole point of having a broody hen sit and hatch is she takes care of the chicks and will integrate them into the group you have.