Important Question about newly hatched chicks

[CoronaCowboy]

Hi All!!

This is our first time hatching out eggs; we've got a staggered bunch every few days, and the first one is starting to hatch out now. They are polish top hats...

We've gotten chicks in the mail before and have been very successful in raising them. BUT, we have a few hens (black stars) who tend to pick on our other birds, and we don't want them to hurt the hatching chicks.

At what point can we take the hatched chicks out from under the brood hen (a bantam RIR!), and put them under a heat lamp to keep them safe??

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question!

-Corona Cowboy

 

[kyrose]

you can take them away right after they are hatched.i just took 3 eggs away from my broody tonight so i can watch them hatch,and 1 has...

 

[CoronaCowboy]

Thanks for the quick reply!! My daughter is worried sick that the other birds will get to the babies...

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

If you are hatching under a broody you could either isolate her from the others with a with wire between her and them. Or if that is not possible and you want to raise them in a brooder, you could pull the chicks as soon as they fluff up which is usually within 24 hours. We have a broody pen built insid eour large free range area where the broody can be with the chicks yet they are kept safe from the rest of the flock until they are big enough to mix in. By having that constant contact between broody, chicks and older birds, we are able to integrate the chicks into the main flock at about 5 to 6 weeks of age without problems.

 

[kyrose]

i worry about that to,but i just really love having fuzzy butts in the house...

 

[CoronaCowboy]

I've got a brooder setup with a heat lamp that we have used for mail order chicks before.

So, if I understand, I can take the babies as soon as they are hatched and fluffed out, and relocate them to the heat lamp setup; and all will be well?

 

[kyrose]

right...