I have three new natural chicks

[Scraggs]

My broody hen was insisting on sitting on unfertilized eggs so i went out to my son's ranch and grabbed a rooster.
She sat on her eggs like a champ and has been a great Mom so far but I worry (I'm new to this chicken thing).
I moved her from the coop with the eggs into an extra large dog kennel with sawdust shavings after her first egg hatched. The "kennel coop" is in my shed, I also placed a heat lamp in there on the front opening for some extra heat at night as the weather (high desert) has just changed to cold at night.
She has three baby chicks that hatched, a fourth one was found dead. I gave them water, and chick starter.
Does Broody Mom have enough sustenance to live on the starter?
The waterer keeps getting full of sawdust shavings and or getting dumped over. This is causing the bedding to be damp. I've been changing the bedding daily.
Broody has been scratching all around in the shavings, even seen kicking her brood out of the way. This is disconcerting...I want to keep her with her young ones.
Should I build a separate coop just for the newbies?
When can they go in with the other 3 hens and rooster. What age?
I have tried to introduce older chicks store purchased and the adult hens were brutal. I gave them to my son, out at the ranch. I'm nervous to place them together.
Thanks for all your help.

 

[DobieLover]

My broody hen was insisting on sitting on unfertilized eggs so i went out to my son's ranch and grabbed a rooster.
She sat on her eggs like a champ and has been a great Mom so far but I worry (I'm new to this chicken thing).
I moved her from the coop with the eggs into an extra large dog kennel with sawdust shavings after her first egg hatched. The "kennel coop" is in my shed, I also placed a heat lamp in there on the front opening for some extra heat at night as the weather (high desert) has just changed to cold at night.
She has three baby chicks that hatched, a fourth one was found dead. I gave them water, and chick starter.
Does Broody Mom have enough sustenance to live on the starter?
The waterer keeps getting full of sawdust shavings and or getting dumped over. This is causing the bedding to be damp. I've been changing the bedding daily.
Broody has been scratching all around in the shavings, even seen kicking her brood out of the way. This is disconcerting...I want to keep her with her young ones.
Should I build a separate coop just for the newbies?
When can they go in with the other 3 hens and rooster. What age?
I have tried to introduce older chicks store purchased and the adult hens were brutal. I gave them to my son, out at the ranch. I'm nervous to place them together.
Thanks for all your help.

Welcome to BYC!
Was your broody high ranking in the flock before she went broody?
If she was, she'll have little problems protecting the chicks.
You don't need the heat lamp. Mom doesn't need it and she keeps the chicks warm.
I used this for my broody and her chicks for a waterer. It's just a sports bottle with a vertical poultry nipple inserted in the bottom. It hangs from a chain that can be raised and lowered as needed.

Mom will do very nicely indeed on chick starter. She will feed the chicks.
I offer it as a mash so she can easily remove clumps of feed and break it up to offer the chicks.
I would get her in a the coop with the flock as soon as possible. She will brood the chicks on the coop floor in the bedding until they are old enough to roost.
The entire flock should be put on chick starter, Flock Raiser or All Flock with oyster shell in a separate container on the side for the layers.

 

[Galeann]

Was you broody high ranking in the flock before she went broody?
If she was, she'll have little problems protecting the chicks.
You don't need the heat lamp. Mom doesn't need it and she keeps the chicks warm.
I used this for my broody and her chicks for a waterer. It's just a sports bottle with a vertical poultry nipple inserted in the bottom. It hangs from a chain that can be raised and lowered as needed.
View attachment 1927848
Mom will do very nicely indeed on chick starter. She will feed the chicks.
I offer it as a mash so she can easily remove clumps of feed and break it up to offer the chicks.
I would get her in a the coop with the flock as soon as possible. She will brood the chicks on the coop floor in the bedding until they are old enough to roost.
The entire flock should be put on chick starter, Flock Raiser or All Flock with oyster shell in a separate container on the side for the layers.

I used a large rabbit bottle that had the ball dripper on it when i had very young hens living in a large dog crate for a few weeks while we were finishing fencing in the chicken yard. The rabbit bottle was fastened onto the dog crate door. They adapted quickly to drinking out of the rabbit bottle. When it was safe for the hens to be living in their coop and yard, i had a chicken nipple waterer hanging for them that they accepted right away.

 

[slordaz]

I would at least move the kennel in the coop, mine have been see no touch for first day then momma was allowed to take them out in the yard with the rest of the flock. Note the rest of my flock won't take in chicks now because they including the rooster are terrified of little baby chicks cause they lived with a broody, and she made sure they kept a save distance from her chicks until they started wandering off to see what mischief they could get themselves into, she does all the work and the sooner they are mingling with the flock the better for everyone.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens is this broody new I would recommend putting pebbles in the water dish less water in it then I use horizontal nipples

 

[igorsMistress]

The hen will take care of her chicks. My broody had her chicks out of the coop in a couple of days. The others came and went, peeked at the babies, then did their own thing. In theory you shouldn't have to do anything for her or the chicks except make sure there's food and water. She will do the rest.