Giving broody hen newborn chicks - need help!

[Oceanbaby]

We are novice, suburban chicken owners. We have 3 hens who we raised from chicks. They are about 3.5yo, and one of them has gone broody 3 or 4 times. Each time we've been able to break her of it within a week. This time it's been more than 3 weeks, and she is still in there.

About two months ago we decided to add 3 chicks to our flock. Raised them in a brooder, introduced them slowly to the hens, and all seemed well. Tragically, one of them found a small opening under the fence, squeezed through, and was killed by our dog. Our kids were upset, we still had a broody hen, and we really wanted a chicken of that breed, so we went and got 3 live, 1 or 2 day old chicks this morning. We didn't have much time to prepare.

We put them under the broody chick this morning. It was touch and go at first - she kept pecking at us and the chicks and knocking them out, but once we got all 3 under there she calmed down. Now it's been about an hour and all is quiet - she is still sitting on the three chicks and I haven't heard anything. But, I have a lot of questions!

1. There are still 2 eggs under her. Should I just wait until she leaves to get food and water to take those out, or take them out now? I've been hesitant to disturb her again.

2. Is it okay for her just to be sitting on them for hours at a time? (This feels like a dumb question, but I am trying to be reassured they are okay.)

3. We are keeping the other hens out of the coop right now to let everyone settle in - would it be okay to let the other hens go in there to lay, or should we continue to keep them out?

4. We are going to try to move the mama hen and the chicks this evening to a separate area. We have a blocked off run, and thought we could put the dog crate out there for them to nest in at night, and we can lock it to keep them safe from predators. Any tips for getting the moved without creating too much chaos? If she doesn't leave to get food and water, do we just pick them all up out of the nesting box and move them? This seems so disruptive, but our only other option is to leave them in the coop with everyone else.

5. How long should we keep them separate from the rest of the flock?

6. We are going out of town in 10 days. My mom will be here housesitting, and can feed, water, and let chickens in and out, but not much else. Is there any particular care they would require at 10 days old, assuming all goes well with the mother hen?

7. Should we be checking the chicks tonight with a flashlight to make sure she has continued to accept them?

Any help, tips, encouragement, warnings would be so appreciated. We've never done this before and are pretty nervous!

 

[sumi]

1. Leave the eggs for now. It is better not too disturb her too much.
2. If the chicks are only 1-2 days old they'll be fine. But you can put some food and water in front of the hen so she can show them, which'll also tell you if she's accepted them as her own and is ready to start raising them.
3. If you let the hens in, keep an eye on them and make sure they don't bother the broody/peck the chicks.
4. I've moved most of my hens with their chicks to separate areas with no problems at all. Doing it in the evening is a good idea.
5. You can keep them separate until the chicks are a bit stronger, say 3-4 weeks, then slowly introduce them to the rest of the flock. Under supervision. Sometimes the rest of the flock will be aggressive at first, sometimes not.
6. As long as she feeds them and keeps their water topped up they'll be fine.
7. I think you are going to do that anyway

Now, relax and enjoy!

 

[Oceanbaby]

Thank you so much for your reply! I think what I'm most nervous about (other than her accepting them, of course) is getting them moved. I'm just not sure how to do it! Just grab her while she's pecking me like crazy, and then the chicks back under her? I'm nervous she'll start pecking at them again.

 

[sumi]

I think if you're doing it in the evening it should go smoothly. She'll be sleepy and probably not terribly attentive. Just check on her in a bit and again in the morning.