caring for new chicks with mother

[dhining]

My sweet Iris is brooding on a clutch of eggs in a nesting box about 3 feet above the floor. There is a ladder up to the nesting boxes that the hens use to get to the boxes. When the eggs hatch, what should I do? If I leave them in the box, they will fall out. Do I put them on the floor and let Iris take care of them by herself or do I put a light on them? Separate them from Iris under a light? Separate Iris and her brood into a different coop and run altogether so the other chickens won't hurt them? Leave Iris and the babies alone in the coop they are in and let her do her mother thing--protect them from the others, from falling, etc.?

Thanks for all the tips! This is a great resource!

 

[Judy]

They won't fall out; more likely they will jump out, or mama will kick them out. They will be fine. On the farm in the "old days," many a chick hatched in the hayloft and jumped/flapped down to the barn floor in a day or so. Mama simply follows, and covers them wherever they are, or wherever she coaxes them to. they don't need warmth with a mama, she takes care of that. All you have to do is provide chick feed, which you will want to feed everyone when there are young chicks in the flock. Just have some oyster shell out for any layers that want it. Many people feed their whole flock a flock raiser feed, so all ages can eat it. You can use starter or grower this way as well.

I like the mama to raise the chicks in with the flock. I've only done this half a doazen times, but have not lost an chicks to attacking hens. It can happen, true, but by instinct, the broody mama will protect her chicks. When they grow up this way, they are already integrated into the flock when the mama decides she''s through mothering, somewhere aorund 5 weeks -- although this varies a lot.

Here's some more reading on this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks

 

[dhining]

thank you Judy! That was very helpful!

 

[dhining]

So, two chicks hatched and Iris was very protective of them, moved them to the floor after the first day. They seemed happy and healthy the first 2 days. I poked their beaks in the water and gave them food that one of them pecked at, but Iris kept shoving them back under her. On day 3 I couldn't find them but could hear them peeping from under mama. On day 4 we found them dead, covered with mites. I hadn't seen mites on them earlier.

I'm thinking that Iris didn't give them a chance to eat or drink, she was so concerned about keeping them under her. I don't know what to do when she goes broody again. Should I try to break her from her broodiness or let her try to hatch out another batch?

One thing that may matter: Iris has a deformed beak. She can eat and drink okay, and seems to keep herself mite free, but I'm wondering if maybe that prevented her from keeping mites off the chicks?

Thank you!