Eggs close to hatching - should I move inside with mom once hatched?

[Nicky S]

After a rather disorganized and messed up incubation (thanks again to everyone for your input!), we finally have at least one egg that sounds like it is going to hatch soon as we heard chirping today! So my worry now is that mom is in an Eglu cube in the nesting box, and to get out of the cube there is a wide runged ladder. Especially with temperatures fluctuating as they are, I am very worried about the chicks not being able to get back in the coop. The run is secure, but we don't have a separate section for the other girls, and despite getting them a second coop they insist on going in the old one to lay, so I'm also worried about that. Plus the fact that we may have a very staggered hatch (though we have moved the majority of eggs that didn't look like they were at the same stage into an incubator). My gut says we should move mom and babies out, but I would like to know what can go wrong beforehand. When we raised our first chicks (ordered online) we had them in a playpen inside the house, but of course an open pen won't contain mom. Could she get confused like she did with her eggs and wander off? Will she be unhappy inside the house? If I do move them inside, when should I do it? Day 3 after hatching? Many thanks!

 

[Karasu]

This is a bit of a late reply. How did things go?
I would give mom and babies around a day in their current coop to settle down, and then move them inside. Around 24 hours after hatch is usually when the hen begins to get off the nest. You may have issues with the hen getting agitated when moved.

 

[Nicky S]

This is a bit of a late reply. How did things go?
I would give mom and babies around a day in their current coop to settle down, and then move them inside. Around 24 hours after hatch is usually when the hen begins to get off the nest. You may have issues with the hen getting agitated when moved.

Many thanks - yes, we left mamma and baby (one) in their nest for a a day or so, and then moved them and the eggs inside. The following day mamma started to get up so we moved the eggs to an incubator - we had to but a second one as the dates were so different to the ones already inside. We are still waiting on the babies - lost the first one after it internally peeped, so sad, but we have several that are still developing between the two incubators. It's very tricky, but I'm getting good guidance on another thread thankfully. Really rooting for the other babies. On a more positive note, baby number one (Muffin) is doing great, and went outside with mamma for an hour or so today, closely supervised by us. We tried a pen at first, but mamma was really anxious to get out, and then dad stopped by and was adorable, it was like he was visiting mamma in jail . So once the flock had moved away we let mamma and baby out - she took them straight to the run, and then for a good long dust bath...boy, was she desperate to get in that dirt, and baby soon learned what to do. They are back inside now, but I have to work out how I can get them out a little more without spending the whole day supervising (I could watch them all day, but I have work to do too )

 

[Karasu]

Many thanks - yes, we left mamma and baby (one) in their nest for a a day or so, and then moved them and the eggs inside. The following day mamma started to get up so we moved the eggs to an incubator - we had to but a second one as the dates were so different to the ones already inside. We are still waiting on the babies - lost the first one after it internally peeped, so sad, but we have several that are still developing between the two incubators. It's very tricky, but I'm getting good guidance on another thread thankfully. Really rooting for the other babies. On a more positive note, baby number one (Muffin) is doing great, and went outside with mamma for an hour or so today, closely supervised by us. We tried a pen at first, but mamma was really anxious to get out, and then dad stopped by and was adorable, it was like he was visiting mamma in jail . So once the flock had moved away we let mamma and baby out - she took them straight to the run, and then for a good long dust bath...boy, was she desperate to get in that dirt, and baby soon learned what to do. They are back inside now, but I have to work out how I can get them out a little more without spending the whole day supervising (I could watch them all day, but I have work to do too )

Oh, congratulations! I'm glad things seem to be going alright.

 

[Nicky S]

Oh, congratulations! I'm glad things seem to be going alright.

Mamma's a real natural - she actually chased my poor chihuahua so fiercely this morning that the dog was running round the lounge with a chicken riding on her back . It's me that's having the problems with the incubation, but fingers crossed!