Chicks from broody hen

[leec]

My broody hen is setting on 7 hopefully fertilized eggs. She is currently in a large pen, inside of a coop with 5 other hens and one rooster. To keep the other hens from bothering her, she is in a large dog cage with food and water. My question is what should I do when the chicks hatch? I don't think I should keep mom and chicks in the cage for a few additional weeks, mom probably needs some excercise after setting so long. How do I feed the chicks the food they need while keeping the adult chickens away from chick feed? Do I isolate mom and chicks from the rest of the flock? This is obviously my first experience in letting a broody hen set on eggs. Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated. Oh, my coop is 8' x 12'

 

[nuthatched]

Adults can eat chick feed, no problem. Mamma usually will protect the chicks from other hens so don't worry about that.

 

[NatJ]

How do I feed the chicks the food they need while keeping the adult chickens away from chick feed?

Just give them all chick food. It is safe for the adult chickens too.
It would be best to have more than one feeder, but you can have chick food in all of them.

When adult laying hens eat chick food, they do need extra calcium. So provide a separate dish of oyster shell, and the hens will typically eat the right amount. The rooster and the chicks might try a little oyster shell too, but they will typically not eat enough to cause any problems.