Feeding chicks?

[Bennett Road Chickens]

Hi All,
So yesterday afternoon a got 3 Americauna chicks from our local farm store and put them under a broody hen at roosting time. I also made sure the food and water were on the floor of the coop and switched the feed over to medicated chick starter. The good news is that the hen accepted the chicks. The bad news is that she hasn't taken them out of her nesting box yet, so they haven't had access to food and water since last evening. Should I take the chicks from the hen to make sure they get fed and watered? The chicks are very young, but I'm not sure they're day-olds.
Thanks!

Below is a picture of Millie, our broody white leghorn, with the heads of two of her new adopted babies peeking out from under her wings. This was taken about 10:00 AM this morning.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If she's in an actual nest box it's best to move them asap. Otherwise if there's room place some food and water close. They will come out to eat and drink.

 

[Bennett Road Chickens]

If she's in an actual nest box it's best to move them asap. Otherwise if there's room place some food and water close. They will come out to eat and drink.

They're in a bank of nesting boxes mounted about 1.5 feet off the ground. To get to the food and water either the hen or I are going to have to take them out. I'll check back in a bit and take them out, if she hasn't done it yet.
I'd better get some gloves and long sleeves, 'cuz it looks like I'm getting pecked!

 

[Bennett Road Chickens]

If she's in an actual nest box it's best to move them asap. Otherwise if there's room place some food and water close. They will come out to eat and drink.

Well, that wasn't the ordeal that I thought it would be. I only got a few half-hearted pecks from Mom. I dipped their beaks in the water, but they were only interested in the feed. The other birds were out in the run, so I let the chicks scratch and peck around for about 25 minutes before giving them back to their foster mom.

Now that I think of it, the store I went to usually gets chicks on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so they are probably new arrivals and probably would have been fine. I always seem to find something to worry about, though!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You didn't move the mom down too? I would not leave them in the nestboxes. Chicks will jump out and get chilled or, attacked by other chickens.

I usually put the broody and chicks in a separate pen for a week or two to keep the chicks safe until they are strong enough to keep up with mom.