What do do with mama hen and chicks

[choopes]

I've done pretty good this year. I've got 6 layers. 4 white Brahma, and 2 coc-coo Moran. Usually getting 4-5 eggs a day. One hen went broody. I let her set on the eggs. So far 3 have hatched, with more under her that should hatch. Here's the problem. My nesting boxes are about 5 feet off the ground to prevent predators from getting to them. My hens know to climb the ladder, but the baby chicks could get injured falling out, plus be in danger of not being able to get back. A couple of things I thought of. Trying to put a nesting box close to the ground for her. Or just moving the new mother and babies to a separate box away from the egg layers. What is the best course of action? One baby is a black looking coo-coo baby. The only one I have seen since I cross with white Brahma, and that seems dominant. What are your thoughts?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

You could make her a nest area down low, or she will make her own usually once she realizes the babies can't follow her.

Are the Cuckoo Marans females? If so, your cuckoo baby is a boy.

There are two types of white - dominant and recessive. It sounds like the Brahma is dominant white and you've primarily seen white babies simply because you have so many white birds and your cuckoo hens will only pass barring to male chicks.

ETA correction made

 

[choopes]

My 2 Cuckoo Marans are females. I will be most pleased to have a Cuckoo rooster. I ordered this last bunch as chicks from Ideal. My luck worked out that I got white Bramah all males, and Cuckoo Marans, all females. So I had no choice but to cross. I guess I need to get some different stock. For the time being I would be quite pleased to have a cuckoo male to produce more cuckoo offspring. I like this breed with the dark eggs.
My biggest concern with the laying boxes being 5 ft off the ground would be a fatal fall, danger from other birds, or them dying from lack of hydration. On the other hand trying to move mom and her babies could also be risky. She's still hatching her eggs. Will she freak out and abandon her young due to my meddling? I would love to hear from others who have successfully dealt with this problem. Alternately, I could move them to a box with a warm lightbuld withou mom. This is my usual practice after incubation. Letting mom hatch is an unusual move for me. THANKS

 

[Dmontgomery]

In the past we usually wait until the first chick hatched, then placed the hen, chick, and unmatched eggs in a box on the ground. Do it late at night and with as little light as possible on the hen. If possible scoop her and all the nesting material up at the same time. We have had 100% success doing it this way.
But we don’t have to worry about predators that could get to the hen on the ground.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

^ This is how I do it too. Make sure it's after you have a chick or she might freak aoutnd not recognize the nest as hers and keep trying to get back to the old spot. The chick will hold her attention and make her settle in.

 

[KentuckyJanet]

I also have a broody hen. She hatched one chick successfully 1 1/2 weeks ago. The others didn't make it. I also had the same issue with her choosing to set in nesting box above ground. I moved her to a dog crate with food and water. It took several days but she eventually settled in and didn't try to go to old nesting spot. Then I realized that the dog crate just wasn't going to be big enough when her babies came. I built her a safe area that is probably 4ft by 3 ft to raise her chicks in .She handled being moved twice with very little trouble. We ended up getting 8 more babies from Rural King. She gladly adopted them all. everything is going great! My concern now is when to open the door and let her bring all the babies out with the rest of the flock. I don't want to wait too long but don't want to do it too soon. She has 9 babies to take care of. They are 1 1/2 weeks to 2 weeks old.

 

[Dmontgomery]

If you have her segregated in an area where the other chickens can see her and her chicks, kept them in there about a week then open the door. By that time all the bigger chickens have become accustomed to the babies and will be less likely to attack them. There will still be some pecking now and then until the chicks learn their place, but it shouldn’t be too bad.
If her safe place isn’t visible to the other hens, you need to incorporate some wire walls, so the adult chickens can get used to seeing them first.

 

[Plumitas]

My 2 Cuckoo Marans are females. I will be most pleased to have a Cuckoo rooster. I ordered this last bunch as chicks from Ideal. My luck worked out that I got white Bramah all males, and Cuckoo Marans, all females. So I had no choice but to cross. I guess I need to get some different stock. For the time being I would be quite pleased to have a cuckoo male to produce more cuckoo offspring. I like this breed with the dark eggs.
My biggest concern with the laying boxes being 5 ft off the ground would be a fatal fall, danger from other birds, or them dying from lack of hydration. On the other hand trying to move mom and her babies could also be risky. She's still hatching her eggs. Will she freak out and abandon her young due to my meddling? I would love to hear from others who have successfully dealt with this problem. Alternately, I could move them to a box with a warm lightbuld withou mom. This is my usual practice after incubation. Letting mom hatch is an unusual move for me. THANKS

I am a first time “grandma”, when my Phoenix went broody I waited for her to show me her schedule: went out with the rest of my chickens to eat and by the time she came back I didn’t know who she was (I have 5 Phoenix hens), once I marked her comb I knew her and also discovered that she wouldn’t leave the nest when I approached her as the others did. One morning while she went out to eat I transferred her nest to her separate coop and I took her to it and she stayed happy away from the other hens and she is a proud mother of 5. Hope this story helps you.