HELP!!!!!! Chicks in the nestbox

[Stevo]

Well I could not get my broody to switch to another area so when our Roo Golden Boy was killed by a fox I took 9 eggs marked them with an X and left them everyday in the nestbox. Luckily I had 2 hens go broody so it was a swap were they sat ordeal. I only have 4 nestboxes and am down to 15 hens. This morning I go out and found a chick in one nestbox. The hens are taking turns sitting the nest now. WHAT DO I DO????????. I have a broodery setup. Do I move them to it or leave them in the box? Soon as they switch I will get some photos.

Steve

 

[Stevo]

Here is the hen that hatched these chicks. It could either be her chick or a cross Buff Cochin Bantam and EE.

 

[pixiedouglas]

ADORABLE! I don't have any advice, but they look so cute. I'm hoping next year my cochin or another breed will go broody and I can sneak some miracle babies under her.

 

[Stevo]

This is my other broody a Japenese hen. Only my bantam's go broody lol.

 

[Stevo]

Still not sure what to do. The chicks cant get to food or water from th nestbox. But the others havent hatched yet and I dont want to move the hen.

 

[rsf31tmp]

minus the dead chicken and the fox, I had about the same thing happen. I found chicks on the coop floor about 2 weeks after I quit hatching eggs in my bator. Now I have more chicks?

I never expected this!

 

[andrew6d9]

build a place on the floor where it can get feed and water without the hens getting to it.

 

[starryhen]

HI I put store bought chicks under broody hens all the time. You want a hen to adopt and take care of the chick. If none of yours will you will have to take it into the house and put it under a warm light or it will die. Chick starter and water. The chick will go towards the light/heat source when it is cold and away from it to cool off. Keeping it warm is the big thing. Hopefully a hen will adopt it so you will not have to bother. Sometimes this process takes a few hours. The hen may peck the chick at first. Try to keep the chick under the hen. This will keep the chick warm, keep it from being pecked, and, hopefully, will arouse some motherly instinct.

 

[MyGirlsRrotten]

I was having trouble deciding what to do with my baby chicks, the babies can go 3 days without food and water, so i waited until the 3rd day that way it gave some of the other eggs time to hatch. Then built a section just for them and the momma so none of the other hens could hurt them. The eggs that had not hatched i combined them with the other eggs so the other hen could finish sitting on them because they should hatch about the same time. She became a Mother on MOTHER's Day!! I tried to separate the momma from the chicks so the other eggs could hatch, but she went hysterical without her chicks.

funny you say it took your bantam hen to brood, me too! then my astralorp hen started about a week later, then my other banty hen decided to do it too, she is sitting on 1 egg!!! LOL

So to answer your question, i would not separate the chick, give it 3 days then on the 3rd night put them in their secure area with full access to water and feed. i used plastic 1/2 mesh. make sure the water supply is not deep so they don't drown. you can put rocks in a bowl to prevent that if you have too.

I tried to copy and paste the picture of my nesting boxes and new baby area but it wouldn't let me copy and paste?? my first time signing on.
try clicking on the link below to see the area i made for the chicks and momma