Momma's first baby! should I seperate them from the others?

[ScottsChickenz!]

My Phoenix hen hatched her first chick. She is also sitting on at least one other egg. Should I move them from the others to keep them safe until the chick is big enough to integrate with the others?

 

[PaMiniFarmer]

Hello! I'm not sure what others will say, but, one of my hens just hatched 3 chicks and before I could get them seperated (I waited 2 days because I was finishing them a little brooder) one of the chicks was killed by the older chickens. So, I would say seperate them if you can. HTH and good luck!

 

[flakey chick]

I had a similar problem. I would place a barrier between the nesting box and the rest of the chickens until the other chicks hatch. A lot can depend on on the rank of the mama. If she is top of the pecking order, there is less danger.

 

[Opa]

They need to be separated until the chicks are approximately the same size as the other birds. I always return the hen once she returns to laying.

 

[ScottsChickenz!]

One other hen is setting too, should I move her and the chick to the brooder room or just her chick?

 

[centrarchid]

ScottsChickenz! :

One other hen is setting too, should I move her and the chick to the brooder room or just her chick?

I like to have hen rear chicks when possible. More effecient brooder. If confines tight, then broody hen with chicks should be moved to separate pen. Avoid putting two hens with chicks in same pen. All this a function of size of facility. If birds free range, hen with bittes can mix with flock, as confines become tighter more segragation required.​

 

[Mrs. K]

It depends on your coop/run situation. In the run, you need places and obstacles where the mama hen can defend her chicks. My mama hens would put themselves between the babies and the other chickens. Many of the pictures of the runs I see on here are just one big space, with no roosts, or shelters, or boxes in them. If you add stuff like that, it allows any chicken a place to get away from the others. It looks more crowded, but it actually multiplies space at different levels. Plus gives a bit of interest and exercise to the girls.

I kept mine with the flock, and it worked well for me, but my mama hen was tough with the other hens, and I had them free ranging most of the day. I have a pretty small coop, so just placed a box on the ground on its side, under the roost, put some hay in there, and she would take the babies in before dark. The layers roosted above her.

As they have gotten older, they do get a few more pecks from the other hens, but have learned to stay out of reach for the most part. I do offer a couple of places to feed. When they free range, for the most part, they stay together as one flock, with a little separation within the flock.

There seems to be many posts on here about reintroduction issues, and I am glad that I avoided that. With only one chick, it might be best to have it with the flock as soon as possible, but it will depend on the mama.

 

[centrarchid]

MrsK has it right. Increasing complexity of run by adding structure can provide refuge for hens with chicks.


I must also say I never had reintroduction issues until I started separating birds from main flock based on age or stage in reproductive cycle. What really aggrevates problem is were introduction occur in confines of a coop where simply running from aggressor is not possible or adequate. That is were "new" bird needs to be relatively large for successful introduction.