can my chicks reach food and water?

[1eggnog]

I have a lovely sussex who has been mother to many little chicks over the years normally she goes broody and we move her somewhere safe with the eggs but this time she has chosen to hatch them in this run (which we thought was safe enough) in the egg collector box. the posts you can see through the doors were removed as it was inteded as an egg laying hut not to sleep in. HOWEVER now one chick has hatched and another on the way we realized im not sure that the chick can make the jump down/up again to get to get water and food and then get back to their mummy. i have put up a ramp which they will hopefully use but is there any advice anyone can give me please, i dont want them dieing from lack of food/water but i dont want to move the sussex incase she goes off the chicks or eggs.

 

[Marty1876]

Hi 1eggnog.

First, the babies do not need food or water the first 48-72 hours. If your too worried, put a baby food jar of water in the corner of the nest box. I'd worry about chicks falling in advanc and becoming dead or injured. I'd block the exit to them (but not her) for the next day or two from the nest. ONce the hatch is complete, take them all to a safe location.

Good Luck!

 

[BoltonChicken]

My BO hatched two chicks recently in an egg box about 30" off the ground. The first I saw of them, they were on the coop floor with their mother, scratching away. That night they were back in the egg box! How? I don't know, but after having seen that I am not in the least worried about a chick "falling" to its death. They are tough little balls of fluff with legs.

 

[Marty1876]

Yes, they are quite hardy. They didn't say how far up the nest was, and some of our boxes are 5 feet up, with roosts to hit on the way down. How tall is the building?
I don't worry for them much, but I don't know what height we are discussing.

 

[Den in Penn]

I have had them fall from my hand at chest height. I have heard of them getting down from a loft much higher. They can take quite a drop. If you have a ramp they will figure it out.