Do I need to separate baby chicks from the rest of the flock?

[mandelyn]

If you hatch them in an incubator, you'll for sure have to separate them. You'll be the mother, it doesn't matter who laid the egg, who ever hatched it is the mother. If a hen goes broody (one that will not leave the nest, not even at night, and she gets real huffy and puffy about being disturbed) then she would be the mother. I always set up a broody in her own hutch, just for peace of mind. I hate going out and finding a dead chick when another chicken decided to peck it too hard. I have one hen who's just terrible about being mean to new babies. She's going to find herself sold if it keeps up.

The chicks need the protection of the mother or a good brooder. Since you're saying a time of when you'll be hatching, I'd imagine that means you're going to incubate. Be prepared to keep those babies away from the adults for 8 weeks or more. You'll need a giant brooder or a smaller one and then a grow out pen. You can also use wire to set up a pen inside the coop, so that the adults can get used to them without causing any harm. It can be quite the process to get young birds accepted into the flock.

With chickens, it's not a bad idea to practice building smaller coops or hutches for when there are babies, a broody hen, new birds, sick birds... the more places you can put chickens the easier it gets to manage them and keep them safe. We have a small-ish lot, but the way I add and remove birds through out the year, I have the main coop, an 8x3 hutch for broodies or babies, 3 big dog crates, 4 brooders of various sizes, and several rolls of fencing for setting up temporary areas. You never know when an issue may strike. A broody that rejects chicks, for example, they need immediately removed from the coop, and they'll need a place to go.

I used to sell my brooder after I was done, thinking I wouldn't need it for awhile and that I was happy with my flock. Next thing you know I find some new breed I MUST have, or someone offers eggs for free to a breed that's hard to find, or some other situation. I only sell pens if I have built a better one now. I don't even needs my husband's help anymore in building little pens!

 

[JoshR]

Thanks for the advice. Okay so the plan is to wait a few weeks. Then take the eggs that I think got fertilized along with the broody hen (if there is one, if not then I guess I'll need to use a heat lamp) in an separate area (the coop is pretty large so I could easily just fence off an area for them) and then just hope for the best. Does that sound about right? Also what should I do if I don't have a broody hen? And also how can I tell if the eggs got fertilized and will hatch a chicken? I don't want to leave the eggs over there and just get rotten.

 

[mandelyn]

You'll need an incubator. A bulb alone will not hatch them. The heat lamps are for keeping them warm after they hatch, since they'll need to be between 95-99 degrees in one part of the brooder for the first 2 weeks. Then cooler from there, 5 degrees less each week, by raising the bulb height from the floor of the brooder.

You'll need to break open a couple eggs to see if they got fertilized. A hen will stay fertile for about 2 weeks before she needs a visit from the rooster again.



After you have placed eggs in the incubator, you can candle them on day 7 of incubation with a bright LED flashlight in a dark room to see if they have started to develop. That will look like this if they are good. They'll be "blank" if they're duds, or develop a solid looking ring around the edge if it's bad.



If one of the hens goes broody, you'll know it. Depends on what breeds you have and if they have the broodiness left in that strain. There are a lot of breeds that don't go broody, and strains within a breed that won't go broody. I only have one chicken in my whole flock that will go broody and do a good job.

 

[JoshR]

Okay. Thanks for the advice.

 

[TJsTwinzz]

Yes, you should definitely separate the chicks. If you don't, the adults are likely to kill the peeps, especially if you have an aggressive broody with her own chicks. You should put Mama hen in there, but only if she's raising them. If it's their genetic mom and she did not sit on them, DO NOT put her in there. Also, make sure the peeps have access to warmth; put a heat lamp in there if there is no mama hen for them to squeeze under.

 

[cowichan hens]

If I have a broody and new chicks, and the broody (or mama) accepts the chicks as her own, I don't separate anyone. If the chicks are very young, a few days old, she should accept them if you slip them under her just after dark, so she has overnight to get accustomed to their presence. A good mama will keep them warm, see that they eat and drink, and protect them from anyone in the flock who gets too curious, including a rooster. Then when she decides she is through being a mama, the flock has already accepted the chicks.

A lot of people separate mama and chicks from the rest of the flock. I've only had a broody raise chicks maybe 5 or 6 times, but I've never had a problem. The rooster was never a threat, and some of them actually helped the mama raise the chicks. It was other hens that the mama would chase away from the chicks.

I am happy to hear that I may be able to leave my hen and chicks with the rest of the flock. Currently mama and the one hatched chick are in the nesting box with another egg starting to open, and two more still to come. The rest of the flock only comes in to roost in the adjacent hutch at dark, they free range during the day.
I am putting small amounts of food and water in front of the Mama, but I wonder if I need to set up separate quarters for the chicks to have access to their own feed and not have to compete with the adults ? Also normally Mama must go down a ramp to negotiate the two foot drop to the pen where we keep the food, I don't know if the chicks could do this without falling off.

 

[chickarooo]

your broody will look after them. I've got a broody and her babies in with the flock and she is going just fine, but I have to say once I put my broody in the flock with her babies and she lost interest in her babies and went on her day with out them. But I'm sure that won't happen to you

 

[Chickensaurous]

Keep the mom and baby's in a different coop to the rest of the chickens they can get there feathers plucked by other chickens

 

[cowichan hens]

Free-range chicks: my mama has turned out to be great with the three chicks that she hatched out. She kept them in the roosting and laying hutch at first, and I put water and chick food in there for them. She made sure they were tucked away under her before the rest of the flock came to roost at night. Fun to see her teaching them to eat, dribbling little bits of food from her beak, and telling them when she spotted something good.
After about a week she took them into the pen outside the hutch once the rest of the birds went out and then a few days later out into the yard. The other hens stay clear, even my bossy one, however they did come running to see what the problem was when I picked up a chick who squawked about it. In short they seem to be accepting the little family and even keeping an eye out for them. Just hope the chicks grow at a faster rate than the leaves fall from the trees as the hawks seem to be keeping close tabs on them.

Waiting for number 3 to hatch. The three chicks were born over 5 days.

Hard to tell chicks from leaves (and pita bread!)

 

[diamond3girl]

Please may i ask someone if a 3 day old and a 1day old chick r ok together? the broody hen is being a mean mum and as they are not her own she is attacking them as soon as they come out from under her. I tried to trust her but theres no way she will mother them. it's made me want to get rid of her and up until this time she has been my favourite girl. also how long should babies sleep through the day. the 3 day old is quite active and loud but the one day old is very quiet and snuggles in to the other 1