I Hatched New Chicks; Now What?

[CrookedWarden]

One of my Orpingtons went broody at the beginning of May & all my girls decided they wanted baby chicks. So we let her sit on the eggs & now...
They are hatching!!!!

What's next? I'm new to chickens & have raised chicks only in a brooder.
Should I move some food & water in with mama & the chicks or just trust mom will do what needs to be done?
(It's about a 4ft drop from the coop door to the ground, with a ramp & normal food & water is all out in the run. So I'm a little concerned about gravity vs baby chicks)

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[NatJ]

One of my Orpingtons went broody at the beginning of May & all my girls decided they wanted baby chicks. So we let her sit on the eggs & now...
They are hatching!!!!

What's next? I'm new to chickens & have raised chicks only in a brooder.
Should I move some food & water in with mama & the chicks or just trust mom will do what needs to be done?
(It's about a 4ft drop from the coop door to the ground, with a ramp & normal food & water is all out in the run. So I'm a little concerned about gravity vs baby chicks)

Thanks for any guidance.

I would put food and water in the coop for now.

Chicks will probably be able to drop 4 feet out of the coop safely, but will probably not be able to get back up without help. So you might want to shut the hen & chicks in the coop for now, or else move them all to the run and block the coop. You do not want a case where half the chicks are in the coop and the other half in the run, because the hen cannot take proper care of them if they are separated like that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm a little concerned about gravity vs baby chicks)

I've seen a hen get her chicks out of a 10 feet (3 meter) high hayloft after hatch. She said jump so they jumped, bounced up, and ran to her. My broody hens hatch in nests 2 feet and 4 feet above the coop floor. They do not have any problems getting their chicks down when it is time. Your coop being 4 feet above the ground does not concern me about the chicks falling. You have other issues though.

What does your coop look like inside? How big is it in feet? How high off of the coop floor plus bedding is the nest? I'm trying to get an idea of what you are working with inside.

My 8 feet x 12 feet coop is at ground level but my pop door is about 12" above the inside of the coop floor and the run floor. When my hens bring the chicks off of the nest they typically spend two days in the coop before they go outside so I put food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to it after she brings them off of the nest. It varies some but usually around the third day off of the nest she takes them outside. They cannot jump up that 12" so I have steps built out of pavers inside and outside so they can hop up and down. After that she takes them outside all day every day and brings them back into the coop to sleep every night. Since they cannot get to the high nest they sleep on the coop floor.

Your coop is up 4 feet with a ramp. When she wants to take them to the ground she will not have a problem. They will either walk down or jump down. The problem is when she wants to take them back to the coop to sleep at night. She will probably fly or maybe walk up the ramp to get to the top and call her chicks. Some may follow her up the ramp but some or maybe many will gather under her on the ground 4 feet below. So she has a choice to make. Does she take the few that made it to the top into the coop and abandon the ones on the ground or join the ones on the ground and settle over them to keep them warm at night? I've seen hens do both. If you consider the run to be predator safe she can probably take care of them on the ground. Broody hens were doing that before they were domesticated while they were still feral. But yours are not feral. You want to be out there at bedtime to see how it is going and if you need to help. Within a few days they should learn how to use that ramp so that doesn't go on forever but the first few days may be critical.

 

[Evadig]

My hen also hatched chicks in a coop that's four feet off the ground. She calls the chicks up at night, tries to show them how to get upstairs, but they just don't get it (though they're learning, finally, after a week). I just pick 'em up and put them in the nest at night or on a branch that's close enough to the nest where they can figure it out for themselves.

 

[CrookedWarden]

Thanks for all the input folks. Maybe I was just fretting too much (mother hen? )
The babies all seem fine and are scurrying around the yard with the rooster & other ladies. Momma keeps everyone in line.
I was greatly entertained this morning as the babies discovered an earthworm. Better than anything on TV. Ok, ok... Dune was pretty good. lol