Looking for some advice, broody hen hatch

[Loghousemom]

I have a hen that went broody sitting on eggs from a few different days. The first one hatched yesterday. Up until now, I've kept her in a dog crate in the coop with the rest of the birds. I open it each day so she can get out and stretch her legs and whatnot.

Now that there is a baby in there what would be the best method to be able to let her out but keep the chick separate from the other hens? A plank of wood across the entrance?

I may be able to figure out a way to put up a small fence around her crate so the door could be open to let mama and babies out and not let other chickens in... Would that be better?

Should I also be concerned about a heat lamp or will mama make certain those babies stay warm even when she is off eating or drinking?

Man, I thought this would be easier than brooding chicks in a box, but now I am doubting everything I previously thought

 

[Judy]

The mama ordinarily abandons any unhatched eggs after the first chicks are about a day old. She will be busy teaching her chicks to eat, forage, etc. and will ignore any unhatched eggs. At this point you might try putting the rest on a heating pad (I assume you don't have an incubator.)

No, no heat lamp. Mama will do it all, including keeping them safe from any hens who want to bother them For one thing, when mama quits motheriing at a few weeks old, the chicks are already part of the flock. They will probably keep to themselves, sleep in a clump on the floor, but they will be OK in the same coop and yard. Some people prefer to keep a mama and chicks separate from the flock; I always keep them together. The only thing you need to do is remove the layer feed and feed everyone starter. It's OK to eat eggs from hens who are eating starter medicated with amprolium, although chicks raised by a broody are less likely to have problems with cocci. Everyone else will be fine eating starter. In a few weeks you can switch to a grower or flock raiser if you wish. Keep some oyster shell available separately so the laying hens who need extra calcium can get it. The chicks shouldn't bother the oyster shell.

About broodies:

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/broody-hens-1.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens

 

[Loghousemom]

It has been a long while since I have made it back onto BYC, but I wanted to thank you for the advice. I did put up a small chicken wire fence around where she had nested in the dog crate for the first couple of days, but quickly realized that I made more work for myself by needing to place separate food and water there and removed it. The chicks are all doing well, and integrated with the flock with no issues. They tend to sleep on the floor of the dog crate until just this last week when I had another hen go broody in there, and so now they choose to sleep in one of the small unused nesting boxes.

Thanks again!