chicks getting out of coop/run

[sueandthe6]

so I have two broodies right now... one on three eggs and one on 5. they are due to hatch late this week- I admit I am not super diligent so maybe Fri maybe sun. My concerns are two/three fold. My coop is small- just for bed time... and has built in nest boxes that are maybe a foot off the floor. So first concern is the babies getting out of the boxes and to the floor-what happens when they dotn all hatch at the same time. If momma goes back to nest-hatched babies wont be able to get in with her. Then the coop itself is off the ground so the floor doesn't rot. So there is a ramp that lets the crew get in/out (coop is about 18" off the ground). Will the chicks follow momma in/out on this ramp? The cochin who is one of my broodies- doesn't even use the ramp- she flys up and hops down...what will babies do? Then last concern is the run is made of chain link kennel panels. The spaces in the chain link are large enough that the chicks will be able to get through- but neither momma (the cochin and an orpington) can go over. Will The chicks stay close enough to momma or come back in if they happen to get spooked out or just wander out and mommas don't follow? I have had several broken eggs through all this and beetles/flies/ants in the nest boxes. This was my first time letting girls go broody and I think my last. UGGGGG!

 

[Alpine Chicken]

so I have two broodies right now... one on three eggs and one on 5. they are due to hatch late this week- I admit I am not super diligent so maybe Fri maybe sun. My concerns are two/three fold. My coop is small- just for bed time... and has built in nest boxes that are maybe a foot off the floor. So first concern is the babies getting out of the boxes and to the floor-what happens when they dotn all hatch at the same time. If momma goes back to nest-hatched babies wont be able to get in with her. Then the coop itself is off the ground so the floor doesn't rot. So there is a ramp that lets the crew get in/out (coop is about 18" off the ground). Will the chicks follow momma in/out on this ramp? The cochin who is one of my broodies- doesn't even use the ramp- she flys up and hops down...what will babies do? Then last concern is the run is made of chain link kennel panels. The spaces in the chain link are large enough that the chicks will be able to get through- but neither momma (the cochin and an orpington) can go over. Will The chicks stay close enough to momma or come back in if they happen to get spooked out or just wander out and mommas don't follow? I have had several broken eggs through all this and beetles/flies/ants in the nest boxes. This was my first time letting girls go broody and I think my last. UGGGGG!

Yes, you might want to move the nesting boxes to the floor temporarily. My broodies return to it with their chicks at night to go to sleep, and they´ll do it if their chicks follow them up or not. This is pure instinct; they don´t think as far as whether the chicks can manage to get up or not. I´ve had a couple broodies change their nests to suit their chicks better, but usually they stick to habit, and would let the chicks freeze if they can´t get up. I have one broody box that´s a bit off the floor, too. The first few nights after it gets dark I have to check on them and show any stray chicks the way up. After a few days they get the gist of it and I don´t need to help anymore. They have no problems crawling up there, and after about a week they´re very strong jumpers, too. You don´t have to worry about the chicks hatching at the same time, either. Broodies will still stay on the eggs for 1-2 days after the first chick hatches, so that any stragglers can hatch, too (and the first ones have resorbed the rest of the yolk which gives them enough to live on for a couple days). If I see Mom off the nest with the chicks, then it means time is up and I check on any remaining eggs. You don´t have to worry about the fence, either. My chicks wander in and out all day, but they generally stay near Mom, so that´s never been a problem. If she senses trouble she´ll call them and they´ll come running. Don´t give up; I must admit I do have better hatch rates with my incubator than with my broodies, but it´s really fun watching a mother hen and chicks interact naturally, and you have a lot less work! I don´t have Cochins or Orpingtons, but I think they´re both supposed to be good mothers, so I think it´ll all work out fine.