First Time Broody

[eighthens525]

I am so excited to finally have a broody hen. I have a smallish coop but have an outdoor area that is enclosed and so I am planning on leaving her to hatch where she's comfortable and safe inside the coop but my question is, should I move her and the chicks to a separate area by themselves to let them get a little bigger once they hatch? Do you put out grower for the babies or do you just let them forage? If I put out grower with everyone else I'm afraid the bigger girls will just eat that instead of their layer. Looking for tips on how to manage new flock.

 

[Mamatomany123]

How small is your coop? First thing you need to do is make sure you have more than enough room to integrate new chicks. I would watch them the first couple of days. Usually mom is good at keeping them safe from the others buy sometimes she doesn't. I feed all flock to my entire flock with oyster shell on the side. I even feed all flock to any new chicks.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

If you're wanting momma hen to raise them I'd separate them to a safe area away from the rest of the flock. There she can raise her chicks in a more peaceful and safe environment. For feed, I give my chicks Purina Flockraiser until laying then you can do layer pellets.

 

[Mamatomany123]

If you're wanting momma hen to raise them I'd separate them to a safe area away from the rest of the flock. There she can raise her chicks in a more peaceful and safe environment. For feed, I give my chicks Purina Flockraiser until laying then you can do layer pellets.

Question: every time I move a broody she breaks. Should I wait a couple of days of her being broody before moving her?

 

[eighthens525]

How small is your coop? First thing you need to do is make sure you have more than enough room to integrate new chicks. I would watch them the first couple of days. Usually mom is good at keeping them safe from the others buy sometimes she doesn't. I feed all flock to my entire flock with oyster shell on the side. I even feed all flock to any new chicks.

I have 3 nesting boxes but I will probably have to expand the coop size before they get full sized. Do the chicks sleep with the mama in the box for a while?

 

[eighthens525]

If you're wanting momma hen to raise them I'd separate them to a safe area away from the rest of the flock. There she can raise her chicks in a more peaceful and safe environment. For feed, I give my chicks Purina Flockraiser until laying then you can do layer pellets.

I have had issues in the past with giving the whole flock the all flock but the layers weren't supplementing with oyster shell and they stopped laying. I would rather not keep the younger ones separate until they can tolerate layer feed though. Any other ideas? Should I just not worry about it and hope the older ones eat enough oyster shells?

 

[eighthens525]

I have 3 nesting boxes but I will probably have to expand the coop size before they get full sized. Do the chicks sleep with the mama in the box for a while?

This is the size of my coop. I have 10 hens and one rooster and they all fit in there. Food is inside in bucket and water is outside. Broody is in the middle box. Should I leave her in there with the chicks and they will figure out the space or move her to a less secure outdoor enclosure after hatching?

 

[eighthens525]

I have 3 nesting boxes but I will probably have to expand the coop size before they get full sized. Do the chicks sleep with the mama in the box for a while?

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

I used a large dog crate for my mommas to raise the chicks. I would not feed chicks layer pellets because it can cause organ failure in them. I'd wait until they're older but the decision is up to you.

 

[LabMomma]

I would recommend moving her and her babies to a separate area so that the other chickens don’t bully the chicks. Also, yes, you do need to feed them chick starter for them to properly develop.