First time young broody has hatched

[Pollmadoll]

I am very nervous as I usually incubate the eggs and in many occasions have assisted hatched at the critical moment. This time the first time young Pekin will hopefully carry this process out without any problems . As it is so cold her two sisters are huddling up with her at night . Will the chick or chicks be safe or should I separate her?????

 

[Pollmadoll]

From her sisters

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Safest is to seperate. It is hard to say for sure, they might be fine or they might not be. I would seperate for the hatching process at least. Mama hens get very protective of their chicks, and the chicks could get trampled in any arguments that go on between hens.

I keep my mama hens with chicks seperated from the flock for 2 weeks then let them slowly go back, although they will continue sleeping separately from flock until mama hen decides she has had enough and goes back to roosting. I just have them seperated with plastic mesh fence, they can still see each other and see the chicks. This is just a safety precaution. I have let hens with their chicks back to the flock in as little as a week, and some people let them stay the whole time.

Since this is her first time and your first time with broody hen, I would seperate but let her still see her flock mates.

 

[Pollmadoll]

Safest is to seperate. It is hard to say for sure, they might be fine or they might not be. I would seperate for the hatching process at least. Mama hens get very protective of their chicks, and the chicks could get trampled in any arguments that go on between hens.

I keep my mama hens with chicks seperated from the flock for 2 weeks then let them slowly go back, although they will continue sleeping separately from flock until mama hen decides she has had enough and goes back to roosting. I just have them seperated with plastic mesh fence, they can still see each other and see the chicks. This is just a safety precaution. I have let hens with their chicks back to the flock in as little as a week, and some people let them stay the whole time.

Since this is her first time and your first time with broody hen, I would seperate but let her still see her flock mates.

Thanks that is really helpful advice really nerve racking the last few days before it happens. I have Separated her on day 18 from the others but I think she’s only got one little chick going to hatch because the other eggs have not developed