Hen Hatched Chicks, What’s Next?

[Slpeters889803]

I keep mine together. I would just wait until she is done hatching and then take them by hand at night out of the nest . She will do the rest just make sure she has food and water that they can reach

 

[ronott1]

I keep mine together. I would just wait until she is done hatching and then take them by hand at night out of the nest . She will do the rest just make sure she has food and water that they can reach

Momma will protect the chicks--agree with this post

 

[bobbi-j]

You can leave them with the flock but that’s your own risk,chicks get killed all the time by adults.

Chicks without mama to protect them, yes. I have yet to have broody raised chicks get killed by adults, and I have had quite a few batches raised this way.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Agreed. I've never lost a chick raised in flock either. I let nature take its course, there will be death of weak first day or two then she leaves nest with young and I clean out those that didn't make it and unhatched eggs. Never a loss after that.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

My main thing is when my hens go broody their attitudes cause a lot of tension and hens usually start fights or chase them and the chicks get trampled,and either get injured or death occurs.

 

[Quackers3211]

I’m going to keep them together but in a different pen. I don’t want to separate mama and chicks. But we do have a lot of feral cats and my duck hatched ducklings last year and the one time one got out it was eaten within 30 minutes. That’s why I’m trying to figure out what y’all did. I think I’m going to separate them into another pen by my coop and then when they are bigger let them out with the flock. Thanks for the advice y’all it helped a lot

 

[bobbi-j]

I’m going to keep them together but in a different pen. I don’t want to separate mama and chicks. But we do have a lot of feral cats and my duck hatched ducklings last year and the one time one got out it was eaten within 30 minutes. That’s why I’m trying to figure out what y’all did. I think I’m going to separate them into another pen by my coop and then when they are bigger let them out with the flock. Thanks for the advice y’all it helped a lot

I would guess that the duckling didn’t have the mama to protect it and that’s why it got eaten.
Enjoy your chicks. It’s fun watching a broody raise babies.