If the mother hatches chicks

[Brooke Carson]

So we've raised chicks on our own from day old but we haven't yet had a hen hatch them--until now. Is there anything special we ought to do for this situation? Before, we had heat lamps in stock tanks and kept the chicks in the house and introduced them slowly to the existing flock. This time around, we decided to let a hen hatch chicks and just see what happens. Do we need to separate her and her chicks from the others or will she be able to handle other adults around her chicks? We also have 2 female ducks that have lived with the chickens forever. Will they become a problem? They were raised together from hatchlings. And we have two roosters. All of them share the same area. Do we need to add extra warmth in some way or feed the chicks somehow separately (we use an all flock food right now and supplement oyster shells some). Tell me everything I might need to know about letting the mama raise her chicks this time around.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well, as @Ridgerunner often says, with living creatures you don't get guarantees. So while I can tell you you won't need heat lamps because the mama hens will keep the chicks plenty warm, I can't answer your other questions 100%. We separated our two mother hens and their two chicks, putting them in a separate pen the day after they hatched, but within a week the chicks got through the fence into the run with the adults. The mama hens flew over to be with the chicks, and just like that the chicks were part of the flock. As far as I know the adults did not bother them, or if they did the mamas protected them. I never saw any sign of the adults bothering the chicks.

 

[Chicalina]

I separate the mother and chicks for 1 to 2 weeks, but still where the flock can see them. This is because I had some losses one time with chicks that didn't stay super close and mama hen couldn't keep track of them all, and another hen pecked them dead. They were so tiny and vulnerable.

At 1 to 2 weeks old they can run fast and are stronger. So that works for me. I know others who just keep them in the flock from day 1 and have no problems.

You don't need extra heat. Mama hen does everything.

Provide chick crumbles for mama and chicks. I use medicated because I don't want any dying from coccidiosis.

When I integrate them, I then put the whole flock on growers pellets (you call this all flock), i.e. no extra calcium in it, with oyster or egg shell on the side but I put this on a shelf so the babies can't reach. And have the crumbles available for the babies. They don't eat the pellets until they grow big enough and by 8 weeks they should be on the pellets and off the crumbles.

Make sure they can't fall in whatever water supply you have.

I house the chicks and mama in a separate mini coop (rabbit hutch). After integration, I just let mama hen decide when to take the babies into the main coop to roost. She knows best.

That's pretty much everything!

 

[Brooke Carson]

Well, as @Ridgerunner often says, with living creatures you don't get guarantees. So while I can tell you you won't need heat lamps because the mama hens will keep the chicks plenty warm, I can't answer your other questions 100%. We separated our two mother hens and their two chicks, putting them in a separate pen the day after they hatched, but within a week the chicks got through the fence into the run with the adults. The mama hens flew over to be with the chicks, and just like that the chicks were part of the flock. As far as I know the adults did not bother them, or if they did the mamas protected them. I never saw any sign of the adults bothering the chicks.

Thank you so much! <3

 

[Brooke Carson]

I separate the mother and chicks for 1 to 2 weeks, but still where the flock can see them. This is because I had some losses one time with chicks that didn't stay super close and mama hen couldn't keep track of them all, and another hen pecked them dead. They were so tiny and vulnerable.

At 1 to 2 weeks old they can run fast and are stronger. So that works for me. I know others who just keep them in the flock from day 1 and have no problems.

You don't need extra heat. Mama hen does everything.

Provide chick crumbles for mama and chicks. I use medicated because I don't want any dying from coccidiosis.

When I integrate them, I then put the whole flock on growers pellets (you call this all flock), i.e. no extra calcium in it, with oyster or egg shell on the side but I put this on a shelf so the babies can't reach. And have the crumbles available for the babies. They don't eat the pellets until they grow big enough and by 8 weeks they should be on the pellets and off the crumbles.

Make sure they can't fall in whatever water supply you have.

I house the chicks and mama in a separate mini coop (rabbit hutch). After integration, I just let mama hen decide when to take the babies into the main coop to roost. She knows best.

That's pretty much everything!

Thank you so much! <3

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do we need to separate her and her chicks from the others or will she be able to handle other adults around her chicks?

Before they were domesticated broody hens were raising chicks with the flock with no influence from humans. They did not go extinct. That does not mean there were never any issues with other flock members but they did not go extinct. Those issues were rare.

After they were domesticated things changed for some chickens. Many continued to free range with minimal influence from humans, but some people started feeding some instead of letting them feed themselves and started keeping them in coops and runs, thus restricting their movement. We started selective breeding, one result being that many hens no longer go broody. The ones that do go broody still generally have the instincts for them to hatch and raise chicks but they don't always have the freedom to act on those instincts. They are restricted to coops and runs.

All this leads to one question, "What do your facilities look like?" If the broody has room to work she can usually do a great job in raising the chicks from hatch until she weans them. Usually, you do not get guarantees with living animals. If they have enough room the chicks can usually do a great job of taking care of themselves after the hen weans them and until they mature enough to join the pecking order. I'm not talking about any minimal square feet per chicken. What counts is can they get enough physical separation during the day and at night to manage.

If you can describe your facilities and your flock I'll give you my opinions and maybe suggestions. What I'm basically looking for is size of the coop and the run in feet and what they look like, including inside the coop. Roosts, nests, is it elevated, and such. Photos can really help.

We also have 2 female ducks that have lived with the chickens forever. Will they become a problem? They were raised together from hatchlings. And we have two roosters. All of them share the same area.

If they have enough room this usually works out but I don't give guarantees on behaviors of living animals.

Do we need to add extra warmth in some way

Absolutely not. Hens can raise chicks with snow on the ground.

or feed the chicks somehow separately (we use an all flock food right now and supplement oyster shells some).

With all-flock and offering oyster shell on the side you are OK. I suggest widely separated multiple feed and water stations so the chicks can eat and drink without being bullied, especially after the hen weans them.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Do we need to separate her and her chicks from the others or will she be able to handle other adults around her chicks?

The only issue I've had is sometimes when you have more than one hen with chicks, they can be a bit mean to each other's chicks. But it ends up just being a short squabble and two weeks later they're swapping chicks. Otherwise, I don't have any issues having broody hens mixed in with the flock. Roosters tend to avoid hens with chicks.

 

[Altairsky]

This time around, we decided to let a hen hatch chicks and just see what happens.

Simply, this. Just let her do her job and see what happens. If you intervene too much you might mess up a good mama.
My rule is, only intervene if there are actual problems. No preventive interventions.

 

[Chicalina]

On the day or two they spend hatching, I often give my broody hen some wet scrambled egg, as she isn't leaving the nest to eat or drink at all at this stage. It gives her some fluids and calories to keep going.

Here she is having an evening snack just before I tucked her in for the night. 4 of her 10 eggs have hatched so far.

(obvs don't leave the bowl there)