Question On Integrating a Broody and Her Chicks

[hnorth]

I have a 1st time broody sitting on 9 marked eggs in a small cardboard wine box on the floor of the main coop. It is day 10 of her sitting and she seems like she is in it for the long haul.

In addition, she has an "assistant" or helper hen, who sits on her eggs whilst she is off the nest. The rest on the flock seems to have accepted her project; no other bird except her helper tries to interfere with her efforts.

My question centers on likely events on hatching day. With her in a open nest box on the floor of the coop, what is likely to happen when the new chicks arrive? Obviously, having the flock attack the chicks would be a highly undesirable outcome.

Is creating a separate maternity ward area necessary?
should I set up a nearby water and crumbles station within the coop, for the hatchlings?

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

My flock has never interfered with hatching but I’m sure it depends on the flock, the hen’s status and aggression level.

(This assumes the nest box is chick-safe and has sides they can get out of and back in.) On hatch day(s) the hen will still want to sit on the remaining eggs while the earliest chicks want to explore a little. At that time you can put some chick-accessible food and water near the hen - and that is when I sometimes need to put a little fence around the new family because the rest of the flock only wants THAT food and THAT water even if it’s the same as what they already have. Then the chicks can get separated and confused and there is total chaos and screaming babies.

 

[hnorth]

I have a 1st time broody sitting on 9 marked eggs in a small cardboard wine box on the floor of the main coop. It is day 10 of her sitting and she seems like she is in it for the long haul.

In addition, she has an "assistant" or helper hen, who sits on her eggs whilst she is off the nest. The rest on the flock seems to have accepted her project; no other bird except her helper tries to interfere with her efforts.

My question centers on likely events on hatching day. With her in a open nest box on the floor of the coop, what is likely to happen when the new chicks arrive? Obviously, having the flock attack the chicks would be a highly undesirable outcome.

Is creating a separate maternity ward area necessary?
should I set up a nearby water and crumbles station within the coop, for the hatchlings?

That was exactly the kind of reply that I was hoping for. Because it means that my interferes will be minimal. I did transfer the eggs and nesting materials to a new box with much lower sides to facilitate the little peepers egress from under their mum- when they're ready to do so. Btw, the breed is Icelandic and their natural instincts are rather powerful compared to other more domestic breeds that I have had in the past. Im confident that the flock will know what to do when it comes to the natural increase of the flock.

I just checked and the broody has settled nicely into the new, low-rise nest.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My question centers on likely events on hatching day. With her in a open nest box on the floor of the coop, what is likely to happen when the new chicks arrive?

"Likely" is an interesting word when dealing with living animals. My "likely" is likely to be different from Cinnamon Roll's or anyone else's. With different individual hens, different flocks, different coops, different nests, and other differences we can get very different results.

With mine, what typically happens is the chicks stay in the nests with the hens until the hatch is over and the hen brings them off of the nest. I do not have food or water near the nest. They spend a couple of days in the coop, then the hen takes them outside. After that, they go outside every morning and stay outside during the day, coming back in at night to sleep in the coop.

My coop is a ground-level 8 ft x 12 ft with the nests hung on the walls. I have over 2,000 sq ft available outside and weather that they can be outside practically all day every day. I have one rooster and 6 to 8 hens as a base flock but often have dozens of juveniles running around. I don't know what yours looks like.

Is creating a separate maternity ward area necessary?

I do not, but some people feel it is necessary.

should I set up a nearby water and crumbles station within the coop, for the hatchlings?

I have multiple food and water stations set up, inside the coop and outside. I have the same feed in all the feed stations with oyster shell offered separately for those that need it. If I set up a new feeder where the chicks can get to it the adults consider that a treat and devour it first, even though it is the exact same feed. Your broody hens may take your chicks out the first day but mine don't so I have food and water available in the coop.