Help and sorry

[Sharrib]

I know the answer is somewhere on this site so I am sorry for asking but...My hen is about to hatch 10 babies what do I do when they hatch??? Let the Mom take care of them? She also walked far away from the barn ans is broodying in a very hot shed do I do anything? I do bring her food and fresh cold water!

 

[chickenbythesea]

yes, bring her food and water and then let her and nature do their thing.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have not brooded chicks with a broody hen in over 30 years, so I can't be much help to you personally. But I can tell you what a lot of people do. do you have an option to enclose her in an area of your coop with her babies where the other chickens can see her, but can't get near her or the babies? What kind of set up do you have? You'll have to provide her a safe place, either in the coop/run with the rest of the flock, or in her own safe area. Baby chicks are targeted by lots of predators. Also, you can't let the chicks eat layer crumble or pellets. You'll need to give them some chick starter b/c layer food has too much calcium and will damage their kidneys.

In the top blue bar on BYC, you can enter your topic, and search other threads where people are posting about your topic of interest. In this case, I might enter: how to care for broody with new chicks. Where is this hen in the pecking order of your flock? If she's not an underdog, you might let her do her own thing, and keep a watchful eye on how the rest of the flock interacts with her and her brood. She may be strong enough to defend them against other birds aggression, if not, you'll have to give her a safe place to take care of her family.

 

[donrae]

Let momma take care of them.

I like to let the hen raise the chicks with the flock. Some folks think they need to be separated, but in my experience momma is a great protector and no one will mess with her babies. The rooster usually keeps an eye out for them, also. Be sure there's food and water where they can get it, and make sure they're protected from predators.