Mother hen

[turbobrn]

Hello. I'm new to the chicken world and I am in need of some help. I got 12 babies from the feed store and I was just going to have them until I got the hang of things. So i found a free coop as mine was not big enough for what I ended up buying. When my husband went to get the free coop he got some other freebies that I guess he couldn't pass up..... He brought home 12 more chickens which one is a mother hen with 5 babies. I am wondering how I should house them. I have another mother hen that has 5 babies but they are 6-8 weeks old and free range. The other set is only about 2 weeks old and they are very little. Can I keep them in a coop with a run or should I keep them inside with the mother hen? Like I said I was not at all expecting this.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

I think you should tell hubby he got 'em, he can figure out what to do with them. Everything always seems to get dumped in a woman's lap.

What you do with your mama & chicks depends mainly on your climate. While chicks are young, mama will look after them and keep them warm under her. But when she is done being broody, she will "kick them to the curb." Thankfully chicks don't nurse, so feeding them is no problem but, very young chicks may need supplemental heat from a brooder lamp.

Adding new birds to the ones you already have could bring in disease, and parasites - they really should be quarantined for some length of time to see what develops. The free coop should also be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before reusing. I advise you read up on the Learning Center, and also the Raising Backyard chickens forum.

 

[trailrider330]

Drumstick Dive gave you some great advise, but I still wanted to drop by and say, "Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!"