Surprise

[fionnandeburca]

I have been minding my neighbours chickens for the past week while they are on holiday and I went yesterday to lock them in and saw a hen I hadn't seen before outside the coop. I lifted it up to put it in and chicks popped out!!
She has seven chicks. I told my neighbour and he said he thought the hen had been killed by a fox since it had disappeared three weeks ago.
Should I try to feed the chicks or should I let the mother hen take care of them, should I intervene??

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Main thing is to make sure they're somewhere predator proof. Chicks are vulnerable to even more things than adults - like snakes and cats. Otherwise the mom will take care of them.
Make sure there is a low water source the chicks can reach.
How much longer will the neighbor be gone?
If more than a couple days it would be best to give them some non-medicated starter/grower feed. The whole flock can eat that and provide the adults some oyster shell in a separate container.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Oh, I just saw that you're in Ireland - no snakes I guess.

 

[fionnandeburca]

Yeah no snakes, foxes though