What to expect when youre expecting?

[jeepgurl]

So, I have hatched eggs twice before in an incubator. Now I have a broody hen sitting on a clutch in the nesting box and I want to know what I can expect. When they do hatch, will the other chickens come in and kill them? Should I separate them all for months? How in the world did any chickens ever survive if they are always being attacked by other chickens? I have seen vids on youtube where big chickens and chicks are just walking around outside, not bothering each other but then im also reading other stuff on the net saying they should be protected from the adults. Im happy to hear your experiences with this so please, do tell.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are dealing with living animals kept in different circumstances. We are all going to have different results.

Hens have been raising chicks with the flock for thousands of years, usually with practically no interference from humans. They are living animals with their own personalities so sometimes bad things happen. But since they are not extinct, those bad things do not happen each and every time.

Most chickens won't go out of their way to harm a young chick. You can get a hen that is a brute, but unless the chick gets in the way of an adult, that adult usually will not harm the chick. Some hens will go out of their way to hurt a chick though. I've never had a hen go into the coop looking to kill chicks, but others report it does occasionally happen.

If a chick gets next to an adult without Mama's protection, that adult will likely peck the chick. If the chick does not immediately run away, that adult could easily kill it. Chickens can be brutes and bullies. I've never seen a dominant rooster do that, but a non-dominant rooster or about any hen might do that. A good rooster takes care of all the members of his flock, but not all roosters are good.

Usually Mama is real good about protecting her chicks. She has such a bad attitude about that the other hens quickly learn to leave her babies alone. Always remember you re talking about living animals. They don't all behave exactly the same way, but usually a broody does a real good job of protecting her chicks.

One circumstance that is really dangerous is where a chick can get through a fence to go with the adult chicks but Mama cannot get through to protect her baby.

I've seen a two week old chick leave Mama's protection and stand next to other adult hens with all of then eating together. Sometimes the adult hens ignore the chick, but often one will peck the chick to remind it that it is bad chicken etiquette for that chick to eat with its betters. That chick goes running back to Mama as fast as its feet can take it, peeping loudly and flapping the whole time. Mama generally ignores this, I guess it takes a flock to teach a chick etiquette. But if that hen starts to follow the chick, Mama takes great offense.

I think a big key to it is how much space Mama has to work with. She will keep her chicks sort of separated from the flock and out of harms way most of the time, but there will be times they mingle right in. If space is tight, Mama's job is harder.

 

[jeepgurl]

Excellent answer! Thank you very much.