My broody hen is due to hatch chicks while we are on vacation. Can or should I make a temp coop inside the big one? To separate mom and babies? Can chicks drink out of a nipple? Does mom need access to the outdoors, if she has water and food? I can post pictures, if it helps.
They can't drink from a niple. My hens take care of their babys. The rest of the flock gives them space. The hen will take them out of the nest to teach them after a few days. But then she trys to roost and they are left on the ground. All hens are different so really its up to you. Good luck
I would get a friend or neighbor who could look in on the broody and hatching chicks. It would be even more important to have someone there to put "plan B" into effect should something start to go wrong. You're dealing with unknowns - whether the broody will handle her brood okay, defending them against other chickens who might want to do them harm, whether the chicks will get enough water and food in their first important few days. As for the nipples, I would provide a conventional water source for the first few days at least so you know the chicks are drinking. It does take awhile for the broody to teach her chicks to use the nipples, especially the horizontal ones, being harder for tiny beaks to activate than vertical ones.
