Help... chicks on high!!!

[hearthnsoul]

I so need help. It's our first time with a broody hen, she started out sitting a few weeks back, unfortunately she decided to do it in a box shelf over the hay bin, which is around 7 feet off the ground. Well we have peeps tonight, not out of the shell quite yet, but now it finally has sunk in,..when they hatch, they will surely fall out of the box shelf and onto the hay,..well hopefully, but if they mae it through that, then there is a 5 foot drop to the floor of the goat stalls. Any suggestions on how to handle this. I told my husband maybe he should add some chick coop wire up a bit to keep them from falling out but enough to let the hen squeeze out, yet even with that will she let us move her and the brood, or will that be even necessary?

 

[paddock36]

Maybe put some wire around her to close her in until they hatch and you can get them all out safely. I would put a little bit of food and chick starter up there too so she has it for the babies if you don't get there soon enough.

 

[hearthnsoul]

This morning we had three new chicks, my husband had put a board up with enough space mom could get down and theory, babies wouldn't. As soon as we saw we had chicks I took out the old brooder and we set it up in the goat side of the barn and set mom and babes and eggs unhatched inside, put in some mash, water and pellets for mom and I was just amazed to see the three chicks come out and stroll around under the heat lamp. The other hens and rooster were so curious it was hysterical too see the whole lot of them up on the goat lift peering into the brooder. Two of the hens made their way inside to see what mom was doing in the covered side, so we ended up putting mesh over the top. The goats are excited, we are excited, they are just so cute!