Two chicks and a mumma

[layla93]

Hello, I'm just looking for a bit of help. Five weeks ago our broody hen hatched two chicks, turns out one is a rooster and the other a hen (Marvin and Barbra). We were keeping them at the allotment with our other hens and had a section of the coup and run cornered off for them. However when they were 2 weeks old two rats got into our coup and attached the chicks. Mum fought them off but we brought them to our house with mum and they are living in our garden shed with a run.

They are five weeks now and almost fully feathered but mum seems to be getting a bit bored of them. She doesn't cluck for them anymore when they are eating and doesn't really stay close to them anymore. They still try and get under her when it's bed time but she doesn't really let them- they all just snuggle. Are we able to take mum back to the coup now and keep the two chicks here until they are a bit bigger? We are just worried if we would need a heat lamp for the chicks etc if mum was gone, or if they would be fine.

Thank you.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

All 3 need to go back to the coop pronto. They my have already lost out on their chance to assume their natural and normal place in the pecking order of your coop without any problems.

 

[layla93]

We are just worried that rats will get into the coup again and attack the chicks again but this time we won't be there to help. We have tried rat proofing but the buggers are still getting in occasionally. If mum has begun to stay away from the chicks, can we put her back to the coup and leave the chicks at the house until they are nearly fully grown so they stand a chance against the rats?