Raising chicks in the hen house

[Kchicken1988]

Hello
So I recently got rid of my rooster.
I want some baby chicks. My hens have their eggs still from him ( got rid of him today ) and one is broody and sitting on them.
Can I let them hatch and stay in the Home with the other hens? Or do I have to take them out and put them in their own brooder and introduce them back to the hens when they are older ?

i would just find it so much easier if the hens would just help take care of them.
I’m still new to this. I’ve had my hens for one year.

 

[Uff Da]

Leave them with their mother. Don't separate the chicks from the hen that broods them. She will take care of them and protect them from the other hens if they try to pick on the chicks. The hens who aren't brooding the eggs generally won't help raise them.

Some people do recommend separating the broody hen with the eggs until after the chicks hatch and are a few days old, and then reintroducing the hen with her babies to the main coop. Others say it is fine to leave the hen in her original nest with the other hens.

 

[Perris]

I leave the broody to get on with it, in the coop with the rest of the flock. I have had 5 successful experiences, with no issues, during or after (if you separate, you'll have to integrate again after; if you leave them be, the chicks are integrated from the start). Good luck! Having a broody and chicks is one of my favorite aspects of chicken keeping. (You are likely to get some males in the hatch BTW.)

 

[Mtnboomer]

Let her hatch them if she will but keep an eye on her. My Brahma hens would become broody and sit on an egg(s) for a week or two then abandon them. Now when we want to hatch out more eggs we do it because we can't trust the hens to go the distance.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Let your broody hen hatch the eggs and let her raise the chicks. She knows what to do! She will usually stay in the nest with the chicks until they all hatch and sometimes a day after that. She knows when to take the chicks out and show them what and how to eat. She will protect them and introduce them to the run, free ranging, all of that in the right time. My broody usually stays in the nest with the chicks for the first one or two days. Then she keeps them in the coop (I provide some chick food there) for another two days. Once they go out to the run I've found mama hen will keep them in the run until they perfect going in and out of the coop. It's tricky when you have a ramp like I do. When they really can follow her well, she will take them out to free range with the flock. This step may take a week or so. It's so much easier (and I think better for the chick) to let mama hen raise them! Good luck! Post some photos when your chicks hatch!