Getting new chicks safe.

[Deer lane farm]

I'm not sure what to do. I hatched 11 chicks and two broody hens have taken them in as their own. I have 8 full grown hens. I let all my chickens free range. The moms bring the chicks out everyday and show them how to scratch and find food and so on. I lost one chick to a hawk so now I think I better keep them locked up. The problem is if I keep the babies locked up I have to keep the whole flock locked up. I have a pen but its not that big. 8x6 outside completely fenced with 8 x10 inside.
Should I separate the moms from the chicks and keep the chicks locked up. I feel the moms will be very upset if I do that.
Any ideas? The obvious answer is to lock everyone up. But they love to free range and the full grown hens have never been bothered by the hawk for a few years now.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would make a smaller fenced area inside your run or yard to keep mom and chicks in. You can move it around. How old are the chicks? After a few weeks they should be able to keep up with mom enough to avoid hawks.

 

[Deer lane farm]

They are 3 1/2 weeks old. The problem is I have to work all day. So if I separate them they don't have access to get in and out of the coop until I get home. And if I close them in the pen , then the other girls can't get in and out. I'm thinking about making another entrance and splitting the coop down the middle. I can do this but then I need roosting bars and nesting boxes on both sides. But this may be a bit excessive. I could split the coop inside and keeps chicks and mom in but they have already known the great outdoors.

 

[Blooie]

Put a few safety zones in there....an overturned hollow log, even a box with a hole in the side....someplace they will quickly learn to hide in when danger threatens. Their instinct is to hide from threats, so that might work...

 

[Deer lane farm]

I have about 4 caves I call them made out of cut down tree limbs. They hang out in there all the time. But I lost another baby today. I'm not letting anyone out of the covered run except when I'm home, until they are bigger or I come up with a better plan. I believe it has to be the hawk because I have seen him before around a few times. I hate locking them up but I can't keep losing my babies one by one. Hopefully one of the babies turns out to be a very protective but kind Rooster.