Of all the breeds...

[dcwatson84]

Of all the breeds I have in my flock (~14 mostly heritage) , this morning I had a Red Ranger hatch 4 chicks. Yep, one of those fat, waddling, meat chickens from tractor supply. I bought them not knowing what they were. And a few of them had issues. Likely because they're meant to be slaughtered at a few months old. But this 16 month old hen went to sitting and has now hatched the eggs and this afternoon has slid them out of their nest box and walked them around the coop. I have 20 other free range hens and I think just her presence was enough to keep them safe. She splashed water out of the hanging drinker for them to lap up, and the small crumbs that are naturally under the feeder were perfect for her to pile up for them to eat. She's kept them under her belly most of the day. Ive raised chicks, but these are the first I've *seen* raised. It amazes me that with all the breeds I have that are likely to brood (orpington, cochin, rock) this old girl pulled it off first. I guess you can't judge a hen by its color!

I don't want to see them hurt, but I have a pretty stable flock so part of me just wants to let nature run its course and let her raise them up herself. They're actually her adopted children. I believe they are eggs from a red ranger male (their uncle as well) and a red sex-link and/or buff orpington hen.

Here's a video of her tending to them:

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

As long as no one is bothering them they should be fine. You might want to put a waterer on the ground for them to reach, and switch your flock to a non medicated grower or an All flock ration.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

As long as no one is bothering them they should be fine. You might want to put a waterer on the ground for them to reach, and switch your flock to a non medicated grower or an All flock ration.

I agree, the chicks should be fed a chick starter and they should have easy access to water.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Sounds like she is doing a fine job. Since I always have roosters, hens, and chicks I use Flock raiser with 20% protein. If you are using layer, I highly suggest you get either a flock raiser or a starter as suggested by others. The hens will love it and it will meet everybody's needs as long as you are providing oyster shell on the side for layers. Reason is layer is too low in protein and high in calcium and can stunt their growth as well as be detrimental in the long term.

I might also consider raising your feeder a bit higher, to be level with the backs of your hens. That's an awful lot of spillage and I would be highly surprised if you don't have a thriving rodent population. It's so cute to see the hens take feed out and drop for their chicks! I hadn't seen one do that with water before, but it probably won't be enough long term to sustain them. So definitely add another waterer or set that one within their reach.

My biggest offenders in my flock towards chicks are usually the teenagers. But you broody sounds like she will do a great job defending her brood. I probably would let nature take its' course, but especially in the first day or two after she's brought them out just keep an eye out for any bullies.

Yep, the more birds I have the more things I see that aren't the norm. Thanks for sharing!