How long do baby chicks stay under momma at night time?

[PippinTheChicken]

The advice you've gotten so far is great.
Mama will stay with the chicks until they are old enough (fully feathered) to be on their own. Depends on the breed.

 

[KRack]

You should be able to see inside the eggs at day 10-14. I'd just reach under her and grab the eggs. Some hens will bite when you mess with them so wear a protective layer on your hands and arms if you have a biter. If you do scare her off, she'll go back to the nest.

She is a biter haha, gloves it is!

 

[SilverBirds]

But why would you take them inside? The mother hen will provide heat, integrate them to the flock, and teach them all they need to know about being chickens. Plus, she went to the hard work of hatching them.

Sorry, I did not word my sentence correctly. If one does not have the space for a hen to safely brood her chicks, they CAN be moved inside.

 

[Iluveggers]

Just checking that you have a plan if you end up with cockerels! You said you are hoping for two hens. Plan now if you don’t so you aren’t scrambling later! Good luck w your broody hatch!

 

[KRack]

But why would you take them inside? The mother hen will provide heat, integrate them to the flock, and teach them all they need to know about being chickens. Plus, she went to the hard work of hatching them.

It's always good to have a large run. I've free ranged at times, control ranged at other times, and sometimes had to keep them in, because of predators. Nowadays, with avian flu gaining headway, I'd say everyone should probably try and build a covered run.
A cheap alternative, depending on your weather is to buy a used dog kennel and convert it to a coop/run combo. It could be done by covering one entire side and two quarter sides with plywood siding, and then adding 1/2" hardware cloth, and a metal roof. You also need to frame in the door, so nothing squeezes in.

I do have a covered run attached to the coop. We get cold snowy/icy winters so I wanted them to have a safer space in winter. I'm not personally concerned about the bird flu, but I have the run if I'd need it I suppose.

A used dog kennel is a good idea, though!

 

[KRack]

Just checking that you have a plan if you end up with cockerels! You said you are hoping for two hens. Plan now if you don’t do you aren’t scrambling later! Good luck w your broody hatch!

Thank you!! This just occurred to me yesterday actually. I'd keep one roo, but we'd probably eat the other if there were no takers.

 

[janiedoe]

Sorry, I did not word my sentence correctly. If one does not have the space for a hen to safely brood her chicks, they CAN be moved inside.

I get it. I usually hatch them inside, myself and then put them under a hen outside. I have built in brooders though. I just open the doors three days after hatch and let mama and babies do their thing with the rest of the flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

You can cheat in the summer, the chicks are tiny and really don't take up a lot of space. The day is long and the night is short. But come the fall, you have to make sure the flock fits the coop.

I am having a severe case of chicken math this spring... I have made countless decisions, who goes and who stays, how many old, how many brown egg, white egg, color egg...yada, yada, yada...but I will have it sorted by fall.

Even if they are only sleeping in the coop, you have to remember, here at least, they are roosting up by 4:00, and staying there till 7:00 am.

Mrs K

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

I have a broody hen currently laying on 6 eggs. I got them from a friend who has a rooster (I don't have a rooster), so I'm hoping some (if not all) of them are fertilized. Ideally I'd like at least 2 more hens out of this situation, but to be honest, I'm mostly doing this because it's an awesome homeschool experience for my young kiddos to observe.

I'm in the process of figuring out what to do with my coop to accommodate more chickens if I end up with more than two (my coop will comfortably fit 8, I currently have 6). So I'm trying to figure out how long I have if she successfully hatches more than I have room for

How long do baby chicks stay under momma in the coop?

This started a few days ago. They would all lay under and around the hen. Now they’re roosting. They all want to be as close to her as possible. One fell off before the picture trying to jump on top of her. Five weeks old today.

 

[KRack]

You can cheat in the summer, the chicks are tiny and really don't take up a lot of space. The day is long and the night is short. But come the fall, you have to make sure the flock fits the coop.

I am having a severe case of chicken math this spring... I have made countless decisions, who goes and who stays, how many old, how many brown egg, white egg, color egg...yada, yada, yada...but I will have it sorted by fall.

Even if they are only sleeping in the coop, you have to remember, here at least, they are roosting up by 4:00, and staying there till 7:00 am.

Mrs K

That's true about them not taking up a whole lot of space at first. I didn't really think of that. I'd like a much larger coop, I'm just trying to figure out the most cost effective way to go about that if I end up with more than 2.

You're right, I don't want them to be crammed while they're sleeping. They fit comfortably when there are 8, but she's on 6 eggs soo...decisions, decisions.