questions about my broody and her chicks

[mom wewantchicks!]

so our brody hen hatched out 8 babies,she stayed in the coop in a cage the entire time. my question is,the chicks are 2 weeks old,when can i let mom take them out into the coop also our coop is open all day to our run,im worried she will take them out of the coop into the run and it will be disaster,the chicks can fit thru the fence or im worried they wont be able to get back into the coop.so i quess im asking if she will have enough instinct to keep them in the coop i have another broody that would really like to use the cage and im sure mom and chicks are getting kinda cramped lol

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I let my broody take her chicks out about 3 days after they hatch. She keeps them in the coop for a couple of days and then brings them out into the big, wide world. I have chainlink for a fence, so the babies slip in and out of it constantly. But they stay close to mama and come when she calls them. Id say she's probably more than ready to bring her chicks out if they are 2 weeks old. Open the door and let her handle the rest. I will warn you that my broody still sleeps in her cage with the chicks every night. If you put another broody in there, it may upset her. Or she may go to a corner in the coop and make a new nest. My broody will kick some butt fluff if someone else is in her cage. Good luck!

 

[mom wewantchicks!]

thanks for the insight. i was planning on giving her a diferent box/cage to sleep in the cage that she is in now is just the perfect size and shape for broodies.well out they go lol

 

[mpguay]

So are there other hens in the yard when you let them out? if so, how did momma handle it?

 

[NottinghamChicks]

mom,wewantchicks! :

so our brody hen hatched out 8 babies,she stayed in the coop in a cage the entire time. my question is,the chicks are 2 weeks old,when can i let mom take them out into the coop also our coop is open all day to our run,im worried she will take them out of the coop into the run and it will be disaster,the chicks can fit thru the fence or im worried they wont be able to get back into the coop.so i quess im asking if she will have enough instinct to keep them in the coop i have another broody that would really like to use the cage and im sure mom and chicks are getting kinda cramped lol

I did the same thing with a brooder cage inside my coop. She told me when she wanted to come out and I would leave the door open for a few hours a day. At a week old she wanted OUT!!! I would leave the brooder door open all day at that point. The ramp going into my run is over three feet tall and she took all 5 down no problem. I put 8 inches of plywood around the base of the run because the tiniest got through one day. They stay outside with all the hens all day and then free range when I get home from work for 2 hours. Just secure the wire because they may get spooked and get pushed through the wire. My little one at less than a week old was out for almost and hour before I discovered the escapee in the woods beig really loud. My only worry about taking the brooder away from them is the big girls jumping off their perch in the morning and accidentally landing on my babies. I would be interested in how you handle that. I have five other hens in my coop with momma and her five babies.​