My hens have hatched several clutches of chicks and I now have a broody sitting on 11 eggs (one broke) which will hopefully hatch in about a week. I always leave my mother to hatch her chicks in a nest and in the coop that is right with the rest of the flock. In other words, I don't segregate the broody and her chicks ever. The mother hen has always sheltered her chicks and the other hens and my rooster do not bother them. The mother hen mostly spends time with the chicks close to the coop for the first several weeks while the rest of the flock does their normal routine. I should add that I free range (no fence, no run, just a secure coop at night). So, everyone has as much space as they want to go and do as they please. If one of the other hens gets too close to the mother's new babies, she promptly chases the other hen off. But there is no real drama and I've never had any issues.
The big advantage of leaving the mother and her chicks all together with the rest of the flock is there are no re-introduction and integration challenges later. This is also more natural and normal for everyone as well. Also, for me, clean up and monitoring the entire flock in one coop is easier too.
To the point about how the new-born chicks get out of the nest box with the mother, my nest box is raised about a foot off the ground. A day or so before the chicks are due to hatch, I am able to lower that nest box so it's sitting on the ground. Then, I build a little hay pile in front of the next box lip so the chicks don't have to jump/fly to the ground. If I'm around as the last eggs hatch and mother and babies leave the nest, I just make sure all the babies got out. Then... mom does ALL the rest! I put out chick food in a little feeder and little chick waterer but the mom does all the real work. I think a mother hen is loads of fun to watch and I've had really great mother hens and some not as good. The not as good ones sort of are just more rough with the chicks, stepping on them once in a while, mostly. But never has the mothers not covered their chicks or pecked them. They have all been good moms, some more nurturing and patient then others.
I hope this is helpful,
Guppy
The big advantage of leaving the mother and her chicks all together with the rest of the flock is there are no re-introduction and integration challenges later. This is also more natural and normal for everyone as well. Also, for me, clean up and monitoring the entire flock in one coop is easier too.
To the point about how the new-born chicks get out of the nest box with the mother, my nest box is raised about a foot off the ground. A day or so before the chicks are due to hatch, I am able to lower that nest box so it's sitting on the ground. Then, I build a little hay pile in front of the next box lip so the chicks don't have to jump/fly to the ground. If I'm around as the last eggs hatch and mother and babies leave the nest, I just make sure all the babies got out. Then... mom does ALL the rest! I put out chick food in a little feeder and little chick waterer but the mom does all the real work. I think a mother hen is loads of fun to watch and I've had really great mother hens and some not as good. The not as good ones sort of are just more rough with the chicks, stepping on them once in a while, mostly. But never has the mothers not covered their chicks or pecked them. They have all been good moms, some more nurturing and patient then others.
I hope this is helpful,
Guppy
