Should I leave eggs under chicken

[yawnal]

I have 5 eggs under a chicken that are getting within a week of hatching. My question is... The nest is about 2 feet off the ground. Do I leave the chicken and her eggs there? Will the chicks fall out? When they do get down out of the next then what, do they need a little roost or what? I'm a little nervous if you can't tell. LOL Any suggestions on what you would do would be very much appreciated. I've raised chicks without the chickens being involved before but I hate to just snatch them from her after she has been so good to sit there for so long.

 

[Johnn]

I have 5 eggs under a chicken that are getting within a week of hatching. My question is... The nest is about 2 feet off the ground. Do I leave the chicken and her eggs there? Will the chicks fall out? When they do get down out of the next then what, do they need a little roost or what? I'm a little nervous if you can't tell. LOL Any suggestions on what you would do would be very much appreciated. I've raised chicks without the chickens being involved before but I hate to just snatch them from her after she has been so good to sit there for so long.

I wouldn't risk moving her at this point. You should just put something up in the nest box to stop them falling out if you are worried. The mother wont take them out of the next until day 3. So on day 3 just move her and the chicks to the ground and she will find a new nest for them so sleep in, it might even be the corner of the coop! you could just put her so straw down or a box that the chicks can get in and out of.

 

[AuntWrenny]

If you find an answer to this, let me know. We have our coop/run about 2 feet off the ground. I have the hen inside the coop with her eggs but I don't know what I should do after they hatch. Our chickens get up and down off the ramp okay but I'm not sure the chicks can follow momma outside with that ramp. I'm trying to figure out what to do if I'm lucky enough to have some live chicks hatch.

 

[Johnn]

If you find an answer to this, let me know. We have our coop/run about 2 feet off the ground. I have the hen inside the coop with her eggs but I don't know what I should do after they hatch. Our chickens get up and down off the ramp okay but I'm not sure the chicks can follow momma outside with that ramp. I'm trying to figure out what to do if I'm lucky enough to have some live chicks hatch.

My chicks got the hang of the ramp very quickly. From day 4 I put them outside with mama and back inside before dark. On day 7 I was late and it was dark and she had managed to get both of them to bed.

 

[yawnal]

It sounds like I need a ramp. Can you post me a picture of your ramps?

 

[Johnn]

It sounds like I need a ramp. Can you post me a picture of your ramps?

I just had a ramp going into the shed, she went into the shed with the nest box's low down so the chicks could get in but she originally hatched in a nest box a foot above the floor and the chick fell out and she chose the chick over the remaining eggs. This is the ramp the chicks got up first time trying(its not very steep though):

 

[AuntWrenny]

This is the Chicken Coop and Run I designed. We like it because we installed a removable shelf and removable perched inside the coop. It really makes cleaning easy. However, as you can see, the ramp is rather narrow and steep. That's why I'm worried about our chicks managing it well. I'm thinking of putting a small house on the floor of the run for Mama and babies for the first week or two.
The other reason we went with this type of design is for predator protection. We've had a mink, foxes, and racoons in the area. When we know there is a predator roaming, we will keep the girls in the run for a couple of days. Haven't lost one to a predator since we started doing this.