When and how are natural broody-hatched chickes fully integrated?

[Mike592]

Do you free range them? I have had free range broodies with chicks out at near freezing, as soon as the last one hatched out and dried up. It's fine to let mom do what she is comfortable with and she will move them into the coop, when she is ready. That's the good thing about broody hen's. They do ALL the work with the chicks, integration is NO issue as they are born with the flock and mamma won't let anything happen to the chicks. The flock will help also as another OP said.

Not so much free range as I have electric poultry netting up and I paddock shift that every now and then. They can leave the coop/run and go out there to scratch around in the grass to their heart's content.

I'm just more worried about roosting and sleeping issues. Didn't know if the old flock would not take kindly to the young'ins marching up the ladder to roost with them.

 

[mithious]

We are so happy . My frizzle has been sitting since the end of March - came home today and 2 new babies . Our first chicks . Do We need to separate them and Mom from rest of flock ? They all stay together 5 hens (all different types) and 1 frizzle rooster . Any special food ?

The chicks will need a chick starter feed. You can keep them all together, but to keep the older hens out of the baby feed, you could wire or box in a spot that only the chicks and mom can come and go from, with the feed and water in it. Just a small area of your coop if fine.

Another thing you could do, is put the chick feed and water in an area that the wire is big enough for only chicks to get through...although that makes mamma a bit crazy, as she can't get to them. They WILL come to mamma when she calls them though! It won't hurt the older hens to eat the chick starter, just your pocket book

Congrats on the new babies.

 

[Mike592]

If you decide to have the whole flock eating chick starter rather than separating the feed, make sure the laying flock has access to oyster shell or something to supplement the calcium they'll not be getting while on chick starter.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Question was asked about special chick roosts, my chicks use the regular roosts which are 6-7 feet from the ground. However, being that my 3 pens are subject to change to & from layer, brooder, growout, or rooster pens, depending on what kind of chickens I have at the time, my pens are all set up with nestboxes & roosts. The nestboxes & roosts all have ladders or cleated ramps going up to them so anybody from a small chick to my fattest old hen with clipped wings can easily access the roost bars.

 

[mithious]

Not so much free range as I have electric poultry netting up and I paddock shift that every now and then. They can leave the coop/run and go out there to scratch around in the grass to their heart's content.

I'm just more worried about roosting and sleeping issues. Didn't know if the old flock would not take kindly to the young'ins marching up the ladder to roost with them.

That's the good thing about raising them under broody hens, they momma does ALL that stuff for you. Momma won't let anything happen to them and some of the flock mates, might just pitch in on cold days. Even you rooster, if you have one, might help. Some do, some don't but momma won't let even him bother her babies. Trust your momma hen. She knows what to do. It's instinct. They have been doing this for thousands of years