New chicks hatched! :)

[CPT]

Update: the chicks are getting a little big for the brooder box....the mama hen looks a bit cramped in there, so I will have to move them again to a dog crate/kennel. I've got one set up in the garage, but haven't put it together yet. I'll need to put up siding or chicken wire..... The new small chicken coop has so many darned pieces to put together, it will have to wait until I can figure out how to put it together.....
How do I keep the cardboard pieces in place in the dog kennel??? Saw this image here:

 

[Folly's place]

My broody hens and chicks go out with the flock by about one week of age (the chicks), and things work out fine. If your coop is big enough, and has separate spaces, and multiple feeders and waterers, it should work out well. The key is to have plenty of space for the mama and chicks, and still some flock interaction.
That dog crate is already too small for this standard hen and chicks; can she move out to the coop area?
Pictures of your coop and run would help.
Mary

 

[CPT]

Everyone free ranges here; turkeys, chickens, quails, etc. I don't have any enclosed "runs". I think we're done with fencing! Too much of a hassle. Here is the picture of the walk -in coop that we have. We already have 9 chickens sleeping in here at night, so it's a bit crowded. There are no separate spaces. That's why we decided to build another small coop, as we have one other free range chick that just hatched...ugh! Lots of predators fly overhead...red tail hawks, falcons, eagles, etc. We have one rooster, and he does a pretty good job protecting everyone. Our flock is rapidly expanding. The dog crate is just a temporary place for the next few days, as we will put together the coop this weekend.