Mama hen hatched at least one chick,,,,,,,,now what?!

[DixieGirl755]

My little game hen Mavis, went broody and had about 11 eggs. She picked our shed which we didn't know till she started setting them. Something got to the eggs and only 2 were left. We tried to move her to the coop in a hutch but she was having none of it. So back to the shed we took the eggs. They were suppose to hatch Fri, but I gave her a few extra days and just now we saw one of the chicks had hatched. Don't know yet about the other. We are leaving her be for now. My prob is, what do I do with these little ones? I have 8 other pullets and my roo in the coop, along with some 8 week old pullets. (separated by the babies being put in a hutch in the coop for night time) The older hens free range all day and the babies go into the pen next to the coop during the day. Do we let Mavis free range with her new babies? My husband is building a bigger hutch that will go between the coop and the pen because we also have 16 eggs incubating, due to hatch in 2 wks. I am thinking the babies, which are 2 mos. old should be okay with the older hens at night and we can put Mavis and her baby(ies) in the hutch and just keep them in the coop during the day when the others are out, at least until they are older. Any advice appreciated. Thanks, Linda

 

[Happy Chooks]

I would let her free range with the babies. She should protect them just fine. I'd keep a close eye just in case though.

 

[FREEZE's CHICKENS]

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[Barrdwing]

It can depend on your other hens. I usually separate my new mothers from the rest of the flock for the first few weeks. I have had broody hens attack chicks belonging to other mothers (that was horrifying) and a sour-tempered laying hen went after a chick that, ironically, was her own daughter, being raised by a foster mother. Those incidents have made me very paranoid about new chicks!
It could be that I just have a bunch of chickicidal maniacs in my flock, though.