Chicks sneaked out last night!!! new parent question

nyice

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When we opened the coopin to let the girls out this morning, what do we find but 3 little fuzzy butts poking their little heads out!!!!
These are from a BR roo and EE hen, we are very excited to see how they turn out (and allegedly only keeping 1 - like that's gonna happen)

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I thought I was ready , but now have another question - Do I just leave chick starter in the "brooder/recycled rabbit hutch" or do I give 'Nilla her own food, and if no do we not eat her eggs for how long?
I closed her in right now (one egg didn't hatch, but we were only guessing 2 out of the 4 she was sitting on would hatch), do I let her out in a few days?
We have been so focused on hatching in the 'bator I really didn't think about what to do with her.

To be honest, a broody was sooooooo much easier than learning how to use our LG:D
 
Your broody and her babies can all have chick starter feed. She won't be laying for a while so won't need the extra calcium in layers feed, so she'll be fine on chick feed for several weeks.
You can shut her in, especially in there's other hens around who might be curious, but you'll find after a few days she'll be anxious to get out and show her babies the world. By then her hormones will be fully into mothering mode and she'll protect those babies from teh rest of the flock as if her life depends on it...
Its lovely to watch a hen doing a good mothering job...enjoy!
Probably between 4 and 8 weeks she'll start to lose interest as the chicks get more independent and she'll start to lay again, then get her back on her own feed.
 

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