Letting momma hen raise the new chicks, safe or not?

[denco5]

I have 6 newly hatched chicks. I would like to see the momma raise them along with all of my other chickens. I have a small flock of 12 birds, 11 two year old hens and 1 two year old rooster. Will the other hens hurt or kill the new babies or will the momma be able to take care of them like they do in the old days?

thanks in advance

 

[PioneerPrincess]

I have 6 newly hatched chicks. I would like to see the momma raise them along with all of my other chickens. I have a small flock of 12 birds, 11 two year old hens and 1 two year old rooster. Will the other hens hurt or kill the new babies or will the momma be able to take care of them like they do in the old days?

thanks in advance

Congrats on the chicks! I haven't ever felt comfortable letting our mama hens raise their young chicks with the flock. My reason is because the other hens will pick on/ beat up the chicks, thinking their pecking order is being messed with. My rooster (s) have usually been wonderful with our mama hens and chicks. I let the hens raise their chicks in private quarters for the first six-eight weeks of their lives. Then I feel more comfortable putting mama and chicks with the flock, since at least the chicks will have some smarts and run from hen danger. Hope this helps!

 

[jak2002003]

Congrats on the chicks! I haven't ever felt comfortable letting our mama hens raise their young chicks with the flock. My reason is because the other hens will pick on/ beat up the chicks, thinking their pecking order is being messed with. My rooster (s) have usually been wonderful with our mama hens and chicks. I let the hens raise their chicks in private quarters for the first six-eight weeks of their lives. Then I feel more comfortable putting mama and chicks with the flock, since at least the chicks will have some smarts and run from hen danger. Hope this helps!

If you have never done it , how do you know it won't work?

My hens brood their eggs, and raise their chicks all in the flock. I have 3 roosters, and about 12 hens, with chicks all at different ages. They all live together. Its so much easier to leave them to it.

My chickens do have a big run, and free range most days, but all sleep together in the same coop.

The only problem I have is that the big chickens love to steal the chick starter feed, rather than eat their own food. I solved this problem by putting the chicks food under a large wicker basket, with wide spaces in the weave. The chicks can easily hop in and out, but the bigger chickens can not get in to eat the food. (also the chicks like to rest and sleep under the basket so they don't get disturbed by any bigger birds).

If you remove the chicken and her chicks, then you will have pecking order problems and fighting when you try to put them back into the flock later, because the hen will looses her place in the pecking order, and the flock will not recognise the new chicks, and will attack them.