Silkie mama first chicks

[Matilda Belle]

You could do that but make sure it’s mounted at ground level so the chicks can reach. Just watch the first few days to make sure they have access to both food and water.

 

[BantamBabies]

Thank you for all the great advice. Last night at 6pm (it’s dark here in oregon at 5pm) I went to check on mama and babies and she was sitting on them right outside the coop door. Poor mama probably couldn’t get them back inside up the ramp back to roost. Now I’m considering creating a space for her inside the coop where they still can see the rest of the flock through the screen until the babies can follow her around better. She had food and water in her crate so I’m not sure why she wanted to take them out. Should I just watch her closely each evening to help them out or should I create a brooder are for her with out access to the outdoors?

 

[Matilda Belle]

Thank you for all the great advice. Last night at 6pm (it’s dark here in oregon at 5pm) I went to check on mama and babies and she was sitting on them right outside the coop door. Poor mama probably couldn’t get them back inside up the ramp back to roost. Now I’m considering creating a space for her inside the coop where they still can see the rest of the flock through the screen until the babies can follow her around better. She had food and water in her crate so I’m not sure why she wanted to take them out. Should I just watch her closely each evening to help them out or should I create a brooder are for her with out access to the outdoors?

Each situation is so different, so it's really up to you. If it were me, I would probably put them inside every night until they know how to do it themselves. If you want to separate them too, you could totally do that. How many days old are they? My hens usually keep the chicks inside the first week or so and then she takes them outside. Any pictures of the babies?

 

[BantamBabies]

It helps so much to hear peoples support. The checks are only three days old, I close the coop door today to kick out the other chickens because they were coming inside the crate to try to eat the food. That eliminated her trying to take them outside as well. I’ll see how it goes the second day, since there are so young. These chickens are so small they’re so adorable and they can jump and bounce easily, I also decided I would stack hey over the ramp to make it easier for the chicks to gain traction after they are a couple more days older.

 

[Matilda Belle]

How cute is that??