Moving Hen and Chicks

[BuffOrpington567]

Hi, I was just wondering if I would need to move my Hen and chicks once they hatch into a separate area from the rest of my chickens.

 

[staceyj]

Hi, I was just wondering if I would need to move my Hen and chicks once they hatch into a separate area from the rest of my chickens.

Yes. Or the rest of the flock will likely kill them.

 

[BuffOrpington567]

Yes. Or the rest of the flock will likely kill them.

K will keep them in for 2 days hten move them

 

[Ridgerunner]

You should get different opinions on this as we do it differently. I think what you need to do depends a lot of how much room you have. If space is tight enough to cause a problem you may need to build a larger coop/run anyway. If you have enough space I don't think you need to separate them, but there can always be exceptions.

I don't separate a broody and her chicks with the flock and have never lost a broody-raised chick to another adult. If my main coop is crowded I will keep the broody and her chicks in a separate shelter in the run for a couple of days and nights so she takes them to sleep out there instead of in the main coop. That's so the chicks will sleep out there instead of in the main coop after she weans them. But during the day the broody and her chicks roam with the flock after those first two days. The other chickens in the flock include a dominant rooster, some mature hens, and usually several immature cockerels and pullets.

I find it sometimes helps to have a mature rooster in the flock, he will sometimes help Mama take care of the chicks. Not always but sometimes. On occasion, another flock member might threaten a chick. My broody hens promptly kick butt. Nobody messes with her babies. Some of my broodies are pretty relaxed about letting their chicks mix with other flock members and only attack when a chick is actually threatened, which is fairly rare. Other broodies keep their chicks close and attack any chicken that gets close. I've read stories on here where a broody hen would not protect her chicks but I've never experienced that. I typically have three or four broody hens raise their chicks with the flock each year.

At some point the broody hen will wean her chicks, leave them on their own to make their way with the flock. I've had hens wean their chicks at three weeks, I've had some go longer than 2 months. She will have handled integration by then so the chicks are accepted by the rest of the flock, but she cannot handle the pecking order. This is where I think extra room is really important. Until the chicks mature enough to make their way into the pecking order they usually form a sub-flock and avoid the adults and older pullets and cockerels. They might get pecked if they invade the personal space of a more mature chicken so they need room to avoid during the day and at night. My broody hens protect their chicks until she weans them, during the day and often on the roosts at night. It's when she weans them that they really need the extra room. If you separate them and decide to handle integration on your own without her help you'll need that extra room anyway.

I've seen this happen a few times. I've seen a two week old chick leave Mama and go stand with the adult hens around a feeder, eating with them. Sometimes the other hens ignore the chick but usually it doesn't take long for a hen to peck the chick to remind it that it is bad chicken etiquette for it to eat with its elders. The chick runs back to Mama as quick as it can, peeping and flapping its wings. Mama ignores all this, the chick just learned a valuable lesson. But if a hen starts to follow the chick Mama goes into a rage and whips butt.

I don't know if you need to separate the broody and her chicks or not. I don't know how much room you have in the coop or in the run outside or what those look like. An elevated coop with a ramp can present some challenges for Mama to get them inside the coop to safety at night. I don't know your plans for those chicks, will some of them become members of your permanent flock?

If your fence has holes big enough that the chicks can get through but Mama cannot to protect them the chicks could be in danger. That's a risk of separating them from the flock to me. I've seen a few stories on here where people separated them from the flock but the chicks got out and were killed or injured by the flock. Mama need to be able to protect them.

For thousands of years hens have been raising chicks with the flock, but those situations generally had a lot of room. I don't know what the right answer is for you. Good luck!

 

[BuffOrpington567]

Hi thanks for the info. I got a rooster and one other hen that is at the bottom of pecking order who normally dosent sleep on pirch. Do u think the chicks will be all right?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know your predator situation but I'd not be concerned about the other flock members.

I just noticed you just joined. Welcome to the forum!

 

[BuffOrpington567]

Thanks its helping me a lot!