Holy cow - babies galore!! Advice needed!

[silkiechicken]

Congrats on the babies!

I'd figure half those are boys, so you'll only have 5-6 girls to keep in the coop, when they start laying next year, you can start to cycle out the old layers. If your girl hatches chicks annually, you will have a self sustaining egg flock!

 

[CluckCluck18]

What a happy and unexpected blessing, born out of what you thought was heartbreak. Just a lovely reminder of what is truly good. I'm very happy for you

 

[drumstick diva]

That mama is one super achiever. Covering her chicks she looks like an enormous butterscotch puddle. Oooh now I need ice cream! How nice to have a happy
surprise instead of the other kind. Congratulations .

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

My broody hen and chicks are 4 days old, they have a separate nesting box, under roof feed area, and now can go outside in a separate yard. mama hen is fiercely protective but will tolerate me to a degree - I'm more worried about the other chickens hurting the little ones...they can be fast too. In another week I think I will let them free range - depends on how strong they appear. It seems to me yours are already well enough to be with the others as mama hen already brought them back to the flock. I figure when I can no longer easily catch a chick, they should be ok