I have 2 broodys that have hatched out 5 babies for us!! They were kept in the coop with the other girls and I seperated them with the nests in cat carriers (much calmer mommas). Now I am wondering when to open the doors and let the reintroduction begin!! The broodys were let out to do their business a few times a day and nothing terrible happened. I can obviously leave things this way as long as need be but, what do you all suggest?? The babies were hatched 6th/7th and I am feeding and watering in the carriers right now. Mommas and babies are all eating and drinking!!
I like to give my new mammas and chicks a run of their own and keep them that way until mamma makes it clear she is done raising them. Then I keep the young ones separate until they are 16-18 weeks old (but still in view of other chickens so they get used to each other) I just don't want to see any drama or injuries.
Different people do different things. I generally keep my broodies and chicks separate a couple of days until they are eating and drinking, then let them loose with the flock. I think space is a huge issue. The more room the broody has to work with, the better the process goes. But if your space is tight, you are going to have real problems when you try to integrate them later if you keep them separated for a while. I prefer to let Mama take care of the integration issues. Most of the time the other hens don’t go out of their way to hurt the chicks, but if the chicks get separated from Mama they are in danger. A broody normally does a real good job protecting her babies from the other hens. I’ve never had a dominant rooster threaten the chicks in any way. He is much more likely to help the broody with the chicks than hurt them, but non-dominant roosters are more like the hens and might be a danger if the chicks are separated from the broody.
