My broody and her chicks! (pics) and plans for my little family.

[stuckinthecity]

They were hatched last tuesday, on the 7th. So, that would make them one week old!!!

She hatched 7, but 1 died. (my favorite...) We have 6 little chicks and 1 very happy momma!

They are in a separate cage inside the main chicken coop. The last 3 broods she has had have died because of cats and they also got bullied by the other chickens a lot. This is our best set-up for little Connie to raise her chicks in so far. I do want them to start free ranging with the flock soon, however. I was going to start by letting them out at about 5:00 or 6:00 in the afternoon and watch them closely, giving them about an hour to run around with Connie and the flock. Then start letting them out sooner and sooner as they get older. One of my questions is, will Connie take them back to her cage? And the second is, can the chicks jump back up in the cage at 2 weeks old? The cage is about a foot off the ground. I'm not going to let them out until about 2 weeks... That seems like enough time for them to develop enough muscle to jump back into the cage at night.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I wouldn't let them out by the big hens at that young of age. The mother cannot protect all of them when the hens start getting after them IMO anyhow. Is there a way to keep them separate until they get bigger? And keeping fencing between everyone so they can see the chicks and get used to them? The mother will bring them back in but IF they can jump that high, I'm not sure. If they can't she would prob stay on the ground with them..that's what my hen would do with her chicks if she was not able to get them where she wanted them.

Good luck!
BTW Beautiful chicks!

 

[stuckinthecity]

Thank you! Well, our mama is the top of the pecking order so hopefully she will run off the others. I just don't want to keep them in the kennel with all the other chickens like we used to. Right now, she is in a cage, inside the kennel, so everyone can see everyone. I think by 2 weeks they'll be strong enough though... One time when she had 10 black chicks, she took them to roost VERY early and they made it up into the cage (at that time it was not fenced in with chicken wire) very easily.