Hello! I have two broody hens. My black one, Tango, has two eggs under her and the white one, White Girl, has one. I don't have room in the coop for any more than this, assuming they all hatch, so I've been trying to take any new eggs. I have three hens total, and all their eggs are different looking so I can usually distinguish between them (right now only the one non-broody hen, Gump, is laying). Best I can tell, we'll probably have the Tango's eggs hatching this weekend or early next week. I don't think I'm going to be able to remove the hens from the coop for several reasons. Number 1, I can't really handle the chickens; they've never been "touchable." Number 2, we have lots of predators around and the coop is as close to Ft Knox as we could build it so it's the safest place, but it's not big enough to fashion a "maternity ward." Our nest boxes aren't real high off the ground, but too high for chicks to get in and out of, I would think. I don't know what I should do! I could separate the chicks and keep them in a brooder, but that defeats the purpose of letting mama hens do it. We do have an old open-bottomed rabbit hutch that I think we might be able to modify as a temporary home. If I wait until the chicks are hatched and then put the babies in there, maybe mama would follow? I know the chicks need chick starter, so do I just replace all the food in the coop with chick starter? Gump is still laying and I have a rooster as well. They free range when I can let them. I lost my biggest and best layer last week to an unknown predator so I've been gun-shy about letting them out. I know there are a lot of questions here and I welcome any advice! I've been reading through the posts to this thread but there are so many!
First, welcome to BYC and to the Old Fashioned Broody thread!
Now to your question...while many of us prefer to separate out our broodies, it really depends on the chemistry and size of your flock.
Since you haven't got a lot of hens (3), and 2 of them brooding, if there is enough "elbow room" in the area for chicks and moms and roo, you should be able to brood right where they are as you don't have a lot of pressure on those nest boxes. That's as long as the hens are not stealing eggs or pushing a hen off her nest, or the roo being a pest. But if all are living in harmony now, they should be able to hatch and brood the chicks in that main coop. Do watch after the chicks hatch as some moms become very protective, you might see some squabbles among the moms or a mom angry at the other hen or roo. You don't want chicks to get trampled if mom charges at a nosey neighbor.
As to the nest boxes, make up a little ramp so the chicks can reach the box. You can do that with pine shavings, sand, bricks, even build a little ramp. Mine make it up a 4 foot high ramp by week 2 (takes a little learning the first week).
If you do need to move chicks, then move after hatch as it is very, very easy to move momma and chicks after they hatch...yes, momma will relocate where ever you put those chicks and stay there as long as you block her in (she might chose another place to brood them).
Safety is important for those young chicks as nothing will draw out predators faster than the peeps of chicks, and from what you are saying, that may have to be the main coop.
As to feed, yes you need to either put out chick start for all of them (non-medicated if you want to eat the eggs), supplementing with calcite grit or oyster shell for the laying hen. Many prefer to put everyone on flock raiser and supplement, but the chick start gives the little guys some extra nutrition in the early weeks, which they will need. You just don't want the babies on layer as that is too much calcium for their systems.
Happy hatching! Keep us posted as to how it went.
LofMc
