What to feed hens and chicks?

[YzmaChicken1]

Chick starter is safe for all of them. That includes the chicks, the mother hen, the laying hens, any roosters, any partly-grown chicks, and so forth.

Flock Raiser or All Flock are also fine for chickens of all ages, but chick starter may be easier to find.

Provide a separate dish of oyster shell, so the laying hens can get their extra calcium. The chicks may sample the oyster shell, but will probably ignore it. Chickens of all ages are pretty good at self-regulating extra calcium.

(The only special thing about layer feed is the calcium: right for laying hens, too much for all other chickens.)

It all makes sense now! Thank you so much!!

 

[YzmaChicken1]

So we got two little day old chicks and the hen accepted them right away and is laying on the right now! But I am unsure if I should take the chicks out to show them the food since the hen has been on them for an hour and they haven’t had any water or food yet… so should I take them out to the food and water? Or will the hen eventually show them? Thanks!

 

[NatJ]

So we got two little day old chicks and the hen accepted them right away and is laying on the right now! But I am unsure if I should take the chicks out to show them the food since the hen has been on them for an hour and they haven’t had any water or food yet… so should I take them out to the food and water? Or will the hen eventually show them? Thanks!

The hen will typically keep sitting for a bit, because she's waiting for the newly-hatched chicks to dry off, and for the rest of the chicks to finish hatching. (They won't, but she doesn't know that. She just keeps sitting for some amount of time after she has wiggly, peeping chicks.)

If you put food and water near the nest, the hen will be able to grab bites of it, and the chicks will probably pop out to have some too. For this, I like to put a little bit of chick starter on small dish (like a jar lid), and add water until it's a soggy mush. That does not spill the way water would, and the hen & chicks get both food and water as they eat it. Mine have always seemed to like it.

Within a day or two, the hen should come off the nest with the chicks, and lead them to food and water. She just needs a bit of time to adjust from "sit on eggs" to "care for chicks."

 

[YzmaChicken1]

The hen will typically keep sitting for a bit, because she's waiting for the newly-hatched chicks to dry off, and for the rest of the chicks to finish hatching. (They won't, but she doesn't know that. She just keeps sitting for some amount of time after she has wiggly, peeping chicks.)

If you put food and water near the nest, the hen will be able to grab bites of it, and the chicks will probably pop out to have some too. For this, I like to put a little bit of chick starter on small dish (like a jar lid), and add water until it's a soggy mush. That does not spill the way water would, and the hen & chicks get both food and water as they eat it. Mine have always seemed to like it.

Within a day or two, the hen should come off the nest with the chicks, and lead them to food and water. She just needs a bit of time to adjust from "sit on eggs" to "care for chicks."

Thank you for the reply! I will try mixing water and food together and put it in the nest, thanks for the suggestion!

 

[YzmaChicken1]

Thank you for the reply! I will try mixing water and food together and put it in the nest, thanks for the suggestion!

So, I went to put the feed and water mixture in the nest when I saw that the hen had left the chicks and sat on a different nest with eggs on it! I took all the eggs away and tucked the chicks back under her, and she took them again. I don’t know why she left them… should I be concerned?

 

[NatJ]

So, I went to put the feed and water mixture in the nest when I saw that the hen had left the chicks and sat on a different nest with eggs on it! I took all the eggs away and tucked the chicks back under her, and she took them again. I don’t know why she left them… should I be concerned?

Yes, I might be a bit concerned.
She might just be a little slow about accepting the chicks.

Or she might not be willing to mother them right now, and wants to stay with her eggs.

How long was she sitting on eggs before you tried to give her the chicks?

 

[YzmaChicken1]

Yes, I might be a bit concerned.
She might just be a little slow about accepting the chicks.

Or she might not be willing to mother them right now, and wants to stay with her eggs.

How long was she sitting on eggs before you tried to give her the chicks?

She wasn’t on the eggs for very long, and when I saw the chicks were huddled in the corner where she left them I put them back with her.

After I put them back in there I set a small jar lid filled with the feed and water mixture and the mama hen started eating it right away. After she ate some, both of the chicks came out and ate some of it too. Then they went back under her to warm up.

I am checking on her every now and again to make sure she is still with the chicks. The hen hasn’t left them again and I hope she won’t leave them again!

 

[NatJ]

After I put them back in there I set a small jar lid filled with the feed and water mixture and the mama hen started eating it right away. After she ate some, both of the chicks came out and ate some of it too. Then they went back under her to warm up.

That sounds right!

I am checking on her every now and again to make sure she is still with the chicks. The hen hasn’t left them again and I hope she won’t leave them again!

I hope it goes well!
It sounds like she may be willing to be a mother, but hasn't quite figured things out yet.
Checking on her sounds like a good plan.

 

[NatJ]

How long was she sitting on eggs before you tried to give her the chicks?

Clarification: I was trying to ask how long she was broody (how many days or weeks) before you gave the chicks to her.

 

[YzmaChicken1]

Clarification: I was trying to ask how long she was broody (how many days or weeks) before you gave the chicks to her.

Oh haha, she was broody for about 2 weeks before I gave her the chicks