What to do after a broody hen hatches eggs?

[sumi]

I've had a problem once with the rest of my flock killing new chicks, but it is an exception. Most flocks accept new chicks without hassles and most hens are good, protective moms that will not let anyone mess with their babies.

The hen will want somewhere cozy to sleep with her chicks, if possible, so if you can get a ramp of some sort set up for them that would be nice. Otherwise just make sure they have a corner (or another nest) on floor level where they can sleep at night.

 

[bbyblueyes3]

I have one of the ware chicken nests (sold at tractor supply) I can put in the floor, in the corner....

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Of course we can't know what the animal is "feeling" when it "appears to miss" another -- but these distressed behaviors are observed in many species, from chickens to killer whales and elephants.  It may simply be due to an instinct to protect the young -- but it's pretty evident it is some sort of distress.

I've only experienced a distressed hen if I allow the situation Dave mentioned in post #6 where the hen can hear the chicks cheeping. In addition, if the chicks can hear the hen clucking it distresses them also and they tend to pace & become restless. I have to distance them enough so there's no communication between them. The instinct to protect the young then quickly subsides, usually the next day after I seperate them the hen and chicks have both adjusted and all is well.
That's the way my chickens operate.
I don't like to do that but sometimes I might have 5 hens with chicks and I simply don't have 5 extra pens to segregate them. In addition I don't like having 5 hens out of production for 3 months.

 

[goodb]

I've had a problem once with the rest of my flock killing new chicks, but it is an exception. Most flocks accept new chicks without hassles and most hens are good, protective moms that will not let anyone mess with their babies.

The hen will want somewhere cozy to sleep with her chicks, if possible, so if you can get a ramp of some sort set up for them that would be nice. Otherwise just make sure they have a corner (or another nest) on floor level where they can sleep at night.

My girl did just that. I let her out of the brooder this morning and I don't think she went back except to drink. The chicks followed her everywhere they could and at the end of the day, she made a new nest to bed down in...right under the old feeder. I have to say that the deep litter is quite handy, 8 inches gives her and the chicks so much to dig through.