Do I separate this hen??

[Jman45]

ive had a hen setting on 13 eggs for several days now. When her chicks hatch do I need to separate the chicks and mamma from the rest of the flock?

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Nope, she should protect her chicks from the others and this way the chicks integrate into the flock much easier!

 

[Chicka_deee]

You could if you want to, by when it is about 2 days before you believe they will hatch, you can put her and her eggs in a small brooder place, and then keep her in there for about maybe 3 days and then take her and put her either with the other flock, or in an outside smaller place like a brooder, but you don’t always need to do this, she’s ok to protect her babies with the flock.

 

[Ms Clucky]

I put my hen in a small cage inside the coop so the other know she has babies. I put cardboard around the sides so they don't get out or the others don't peck at them. I put them in there for about a week to let the chicks get use to walking and running, ect. then let them out into the flock. That's just me though.

 

[Chicka_deee]

I put my hen in a small cage inside the coop so the other know she has babies. I put cardboard around the sides so they don't get out or the others don't peck at them. I put them in there for about a week to let the chicks get use to walking and running, ect. then let them out into the flock. That's just me though.

I think that’s the best way and definitely should do that

 

[SurferchickinSB]

ive had a hen setting on 13 eggs for several days now. When her chicks hatch do I need to separate the chicks and mamma from the rest of the flock?

I think it would depend on how large of an area they are in and if they are allowed to free range. If they are in tight quarters with other chickens, it might be a good idea to separate them. If there is plenty of room to roam then it is probably not necessary.

 

[Roo5]

You most always wanna separate if your not gonna supervise.I supervise my hens with chicks when their with the flock, escpecially if the chicks are young.It can take a split two seconds and the chicks are dead.Once they reach about five weeks of age I generally don’t care about supervising them, as long as they have places to fly and get away from the bigger ones I usually allow them to coexist, soemtiems

 

[aart]

You could if you want to, by when it is about 2 days before you believe they will hatch

Moving a broody will almost always cause upset and abandonment of eggs.
The best time to move a broody is before you give her eggs to hatch,
or after they are all hatched.

 

[Ridgerunner]

ive had a hen setting on 13 eggs for several days now. When her chicks hatch do I need to separate the chicks and mamma from the rest of the flock?

What do your facilities look like? How big is your coop and run, or do you free range? How are coop and run connected? I find that how much room they have and when it is available are important considerations. Also how many other chickens do you have? Could you take a photo of her on the nest so we can see how that nest fits in with the rest of the coop? How long is several days? Were all eggs started at the same time?

Hens have been hatching with the flock for thousands of years, often on small farms or in communities. One big difference is that they were not typically shoehorned into tiny spaces but they had room to be chickens. There are other considerations too but to me when you are talking about behaviors how much room you have is often very important.

I could spend the next half hour or more typing about what ifs. Some of that might apply to your situation, much probably not. Some of us let a hen incubate, hatch and raise the chicks with the flock. Others, possibly with legitimate reasons, do it differently. I don't consider one way right and all other ways wrong. To me they can all work but your unique circumstances may suggest a certain way.

 

[Jman45]

Moving a broody will almost always cause upset and abandonment of eggs.
The best time to move a broody is before you give her eggs to hatch,
or after they are all hatched.

Is there a way I could go see the chicks everyday tj where they are friendly when they grow up