New Chicks! Need Advice

[jrhodes]

I have 5 new chicks that were hatched under my hen. I still have 8 eggs to go. Do I need to move the chicks into a brooder until the rest hatch or just leave everything alone? The hen is taking good care of them. I keep checking on them and she takes them out for a walk and then they all go back to the nest. The other eggs should be hatched out by the end of the week. Thanks for your help!

 

[skeeter9]

They should be fine as long as the hen isn't off the nest for long periods. She will probably sit tight when she feels the other eggs are ready to hatch. If she isn't setting much anymore, then it's possible that she has abandoned the remaining eggs in order to raise the chicks. That's why, in nature, hens don't start setting until they are satisfied with the number of eggs. That way, they all hatch at the same time even if they weren't laid on the same day.