Question about broody hen and chicks...

[KtheChickenGal]

Hey, everybody!
I have a Australorp hen that's going broody, and I'm thinking of letting her keep some eggs and raise chicks. I have 16 hens and one very amorous rooster.
1. Do I need to separate her, or can she stay in her nesting box in the coop? None of the other chickens will bother her.
2. I have heard people say that they let the hen and her chicks be in the same area as the rest of the flock, but wouldn't the other hens go after the chicks? I know mama hens are protective, but that seems kind of harsh.. maybe I'm wrong though.

Thanks in advance!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I block off where they are setting if possible. If not other hens will add their eggs, and often break the eggs, and make a mess of the nest. It's also important to keep other hens from interfering as they hatch, and for a while afterwards so chicks can bond with the hen and gain strength to keep up. Sometimes other hens will kill chicks.

I am able to clamp a piece of grate in front of the nest box. I release the hen daily so she can eat and drink, and dust bath. I put her back in when she returns, and block her off again. When she hatches I move her to the floor in her own area for about 2 weeks before trying to release her. It also allows you to feed a chick starter and not have the whole flock eat it all up.

You can just let nature take it's course, but I like to set the hen up for success, and to have all that hatch survive.

 

[fluffycrow]

Congratulations on your broody.

No one can say what will happen for sure, because we’re dealing with live animals. You know your chickens better than any of us, so if you say that she will not be bothered in the coop, I’d let her be. I do the same for most of the girls that go broody here, and there have mostly been no issues. If the other hens regularly use that nest, it might be a good idea to mark her eggs, and depending on her rank, have it set up in a way that can be blocked off if need be, as oldhenlikesdogs recommend

Once again, you know your chickens best. My personal experience is that the older birds tend not to mess with chicks. Last year, I even had two groups free ranging, with three broodies raising chicks in one of the two groups. The birds of the other group, which consisted of mature hens, young hens, pullets, young cockerels and a mature rooster, never attacked any of the chicks. Any attacks that did happen were targeted at the mother(s). I would trust your broody with handling her future brood. Don’t confuse disciplinary pecks with aggressive pecks; the former are a natural part of chicken group life, and help the young chicks better understand social cues and hierarchy.

If any problems do arise in the future, you can react accordingly then

 

[KtheChickenGal]

Thank you, @fluffycrow and @oldhenlikesdogs !!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Fluffycrow made a good suggestion that I'd like to amplify. Mark the eggs you want your hen to hatch and give them all to her on the same day so you don't end up with a staggered hatch. I mark mine with a Sharpie all the way around so I can ID them at a glance even if they get rolled around. Remove all other eggs daily.