New babies under adopted mamma 😇 i THINK its going ok! 😎have a couple of questions

[Regina Larsen]

Our first broody. We got 7 chicks yesterday, two passed last night (both sumatras - they were pretty weak, our poultry folks said see if you can make it work; no go on those two but the last sumatra is doing fine). Two pencilled rocks and 2 speckled sussex. The sussex chicks are huge.

Snuck them under at 430 am. So far so good i guess!!! Babies are sleeping under her, and she's awake and bright eyed. I sat vigil outside the coop til a bit after 7 am lol.
Im keeping the family within the coop, they have a fenced off portion to walk around, drink and eat. I let the other girls out to free roam.

When do they generally decide to walk them outside a bit? 3 or 4 days? Does it depend on weather? Im thinking of extending their gated area within the coop to include an outside yard for starters. (?)

Should i put some food actually inside the nestbox for mamma today? I fed and watered the chicks last night to buy some good time for them to sleep with her today. I don't know how soon she will get up to go eat on their first day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad she accepted them.

I don't put food inside the nesting box, leave food/water in her pen, she'll take the chicks off the nest and show them how to eat.

 

[Regina Larsen]

Glad she accepted them.

I don't put food inside the nesting box, leave food/water in her pen, she'll take the chicks off the nest and show them how to eat.

Thanks! That's exactly what she did. She's doing wonderful. We have a 3 foot wide rat proofed zone of hardware cloth around the foundation but im still uber paranoid so i put a hardware cloth door on the nestbox too at bedtime (we made them big)
She was one of the omegas but she scared the bejeebers out of one of the beta girls when she walked by the broody enclosure

 

[Ridgerunner]

When do they generally decide to walk them outside a bit? 3 or 4 days? Does it depend on weather?

I don't know what your coop or your run look like or what the pop door looks like. All that can factor into what the broody hen does. Mine typically stay in the coop the first two or three days, then takes them outside. Every day after that they typically leave the coop in the morning and return at bedtime to sleep on the coop floor. Weather doesn't seem to bother my broody hens that much. In any case, I let her handle that.

Im thinking of extending their gated area within the coop to include an outside yard for starters. (?)

Again, what does that area look like? I don't fence mine in to keep them separated from the other chickens. The broody can take them where she wants when she wants.

Should i put some food actually inside the nestbox for mamma today?

I don't. I don't want water spilling and getting the nest wet. I don't want food attracting vermin to the nest. The broody should know when to take them off of the nest to look for food and water. My nests are either 2' or 4' above the coop floor. When the broody hen brings them off they don't go back. After that she takes them to bed on the coop floor. The broody will eat after they are on the coop floor, same as the chicks.

The way I manage hatch is that I let the rest of the flock out as usual. Their routine doesn't change. I put food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them. At bedtime when I'm locking the coop up at night I make sure Mama and the chicks are OK. I don't want the chicks to be separated from Mama, that can happen. That's it. Everything else is left up to the broody hen.

My ground level coop is 8' x 12'. I have over 3,000 square feet, mostly grass, outside. The broody has plenty of room to work and there are no ramps for her to have to worry about. If my run were small or I had a small elevated coop with a ramp I'd probably do some things differently. But my coop and run are set up so I can trust my broody hens to take care of the chicks. I just need to be sure they can get to food and water.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Our chicks from 2020 mama took the three of them out at one and two days old.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Our chicks from 2020 mama took the three of them out at one and two days old.

I totally believe you. Each one is different but I also think what our coops and runs look like makes a difference. My pop door is about a foot above the coop floor and the outside run. I build some steps using pavers for the chicks to use to get in and out. I think that's why mine are kind of slow to take them out. Plus I have food and water on the coop floor. She doesn't have to take them out that quickly.

 

[Regina Larsen]

I don't know what your coop or your run look like or what the pop door looks like. All that can factor into what the broody hen does. Mine typically stay in the coop the first two or three days, then takes them outside. Every day after that they typically leave the coop in the morning and return at bedtime to sleep on the coop floor. Weather doesn't seem to bother my broody hens that much. In any case, I let her handle that.


Again, what does that area look like? I don't fence mine in to keep them separated from the other chickens. The broody can take them where she wants when she wants.


I don't. I don't want water spilling and getting the nest wet. I don't want food attracting vermin to the nest. The broody should know when to take them off of the nest to look for food and water. My nests are either 2' or 4' above the coop floor. When the broody hen brings them off they don't go back. After that she takes them to bed on the coop floor. The broody will eat after they are on the coop floor, same as the chicks.

The way I manage hatch is that I let the rest of the flock out as usual. Their routine doesn't change. I put food and water on the coop floor where the chicks can get to them. At bedtime when I'm locking the coop up at night I make sure Mama and the chicks are OK. I don't want the chicks to be separated from Mama, that can happen. That's it. Everything else is left up to the broody hen.

My ground level coop is 8' x 12'. I have over 3,000 square feet, mostly grass, outside. The broody has plenty of room to work and there are no ramps for her to have to worry about. If my run were small or I had a small elevated coop with a ramp I'd probably do some things differently. But my coop and run are set up so I can trust my broody hens to take care of the chicks. I just need to be sure they can get to food and water.

Thanks!
She's been doing great.
We don't use a pop door, its a 9x12 walk-in barn. Right now she has a day spot, an inside run connected to the nestbox. The other girls cone and go, i like that they see the chicks every day - no 'surprises' when Puma takes them out.
Its going to pour buckets here tomorrow - i may see if she wants to take them outside on tuesday or weds.
Im doing my best to take a backseat. No one knows better how to be a chicken than a chicken!
Im glad for this community all the info has helped enormously