new babies

[deerslayer6]

Hi our silky just hatched an egg and probably some more to come. She is in a nest box in the main coop. Will the babies be ok or will the other chickens try to kill them? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

You never know what how the other chickens are going to react to the new chicks. To be on the safe side, I would move mom and her babies to a safer spot away from the other chickens so it's just her and her chicks. That would be good if you want her to raise them. If you want to keep them in a brooder and raise them, you can, as they hatch, move them to the brooder and eventually mom will get off the nest and see that her job is done. Hopefully this helped some!

 

[HappyClucker7]

The mom should protect them. However, if she's low in the pecking order, then it might be a good idea to separate her and the chicks from the rest of the flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi our silky just hatched an egg and probably some more to come. She is in a nest box in the main coop. Will the babies be ok or will the other chickens try to kill them? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Chickens were hatching chicks with the flock for thousands of years, even before they were domesticated. You can never know what any living animal will do but chickens did not go extinct. What usually happens is that the broody hen protects her chicks. The other hens may show some curiosity of the new flock members but usually don't bother them. If they show too much curiosity the broody hen usually whips butt. The dominant rooster assumes the chicks are his and may help Mama take care of them but usually just leaves them alone.

Just because this is what usually happens doesn't mean it is what always happens. Each animal is an individual with its own personality. Mama needs some room to work, especially after she takes them off of the nest. If space is tight any bad behaviors can be magnified.

I don't know what your set-up looks like, the size or layout of your coop and run, or your flock make-up. I don't know how you manage them. I let my broody hens hatch eggs in the main coop and raise the chicks with the flock. It is never a problem. But some people do have problems, especially with tight spaces. You can trust your broody and see if she can manage it (check on her occasionally) or you can try to isolate her. Trying to isolate her and the chicks may be kind of awkward in the middle of the hatch.