When can I put first time mama with hatchlings back into the flock?

[Chick-N-Fun]

Waited 30 minutes......went back out to the brooder....Liberty was sitting in the middle of the brooder, NOT on her eggs and was not herself. I didn’t want to risk any damage to the eggs, so I immediately put the eggs BACK in her favorite nesting box and came back for Liberty. She ran around in the runs, said hello to her friends and immediately ran to her eggs and sat. SHE made the decision of where she wants to hatch her clutch and she will remain there.....
Thanks for the suggestion @chickens really, but Liberty opted to stay in the flock.
I will partition off an area for her in the coop with fencing a couple of days before Hatch Day...... which takes me back to my original question! Lol!

 

[lomine]

I currently have two broody hens with chicks and 3 broody hens on "nests." I'm overrun. All but one is a first time broody.

My first broody of the year is one of the lowest in pecking order and was very easily chased from her nest for about the first week and kept moving boxes, so I decided to put some eggs in the incubator just in case. Well none of her eggs ended up hatching but 8 hatched in the incubator. A couple days before they were due to hatch I moved her and her eggs into a large dog crate with food and water. The crate is in the coop so she's still with everyone else. I decided to give her 3 of the chicks. The other chicks were placed under a heat plate behind a fence they could go through but the big birds couldn't. So at night I took all her eggs and shoved the 3 chicks under her. She accepted them without any issues. The next night I opened the door to check the food and water and while doing so momma ran out. She ran around the coop like her normal cockoo self and even jumped on the roost ready to go to sleep. I put her back in the crate and she settled right down. On the morning of day 3 I opened the door and let them all out. She has been an attentive and protective mamma. She even pecked at one of the older ducks when in got too close. Even the flock queen, who is a bit of a butthead, would never dare to take on one of the ducks. She also adopted all of the other chicks over the course of a week so they are all one happy family now. I think the whole experience has been really good for her.

My second broody (second time broody) managed to hatch an egg in a upper level nest box. I must have counted my days wrong so I hadn't moved her yet. I moved her, the chick, and her remaining eggs to a different dog crate with food and water and shut them in. She stayed on the eggs for a couple more days until I took them. (It has proven very difficult to hatch at my altitude.) When I took the eggs I left the door open so momma and her chick are with the flock now.

So to answer your question in a more direct way... I let momma and chicks out with the flock after a couple days. I wanted to make sure the chicks were strong and agile enough to get away from the older birds. It helps that the majority of my flock is super mellow and they haven't shown any aggression towards any chicks.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I currently have two broody hens with chicks and 3 broody hens on "nests." I'm overrun. All but one is a first time broody.

My first broody of the year is one of the lowest in pecking order and was very easily chased from her nest for about the first week and kept moving boxes, so I decided to put some eggs in the incubator just in case. Well none of her eggs ended up hatching but 8 hatched in the incubator. A couple days before they were due to hatch I moved her and her eggs into a large dog crate with food and water. The crate is in the coop so she's still with everyone else. I decided to give her 3 of the chicks. The other chicks were placed under a heat plate behind a fence they could go through but the big birds couldn't. So at night I took all her eggs and shoved the 3 chicks under her. She accepted them without any issues. The next night I opened the door to check the food and water and while doing so momma ran out. She ran around the coop like her normal cockoo self and even jumped on the roost ready to go to sleep. I put her back in the crate and she settled right down. On the morning of day 3 I opened the door and let them all out. She has been an attentive and protective mamma. She even pecked at one of the older ducks when in got too close. Even the flock queen, who is a bit of a butthead, would never dare to take on one of the ducks. She also adopted all of the other chicks over the course of a week so they are all one happy family now. I think the whole experience has been really good for her.

My second broody (second time broody) managed to hatch an egg in a upper level nest box. I must have counted my days wrong so I hadn't moved her yet. I moved her, the chick, and her remaining eggs to a different dog crate with food and water and shut them in. She stayed on the eggs for a couple more days until I took them. (It has proven very difficult to hatch at my altitude.) When I took the eggs I left the door open so momma and her chick are with the flock now.

So to answer your question in a more direct way... I let momma and chicks out with the flock after a couple days. I wanted to make sure the chicks were strong and agile enough to get away from the older birds. It helps that the majority of my flock is super mellow and they haven't shown any aggression towards any chicks.

Thank you soooo much for sharing your experiences with me. It really helps!!!! Good luck with all of your Broodies and chicks!!!!

 

[lomine]

Thank you soooo much for sharing your experiences with me. It really helps!!!! Good luck with all of your Broodies and chicks!!!!

Thanks! It is so fun watching a broody with her chicks but I still have to figure out what to do about the other three. At least I have some time.

Keep us posted on your broody.

 

[chickens really]

Waited 30 minutes......went back out to the brooder....Liberty was sitting in the middle of the brooder, NOT on her eggs and was not herself. I didn’t want to risk any damage to the eggs, so I immediately put the eggs BACK in her favorite nesting box and came back for Liberty. She ran around in the runs, said hello to her friends and immediately ran to her eggs and sat. SHE made the decision of where she wants to hatch her clutch and she will remain there.....
Thanks for the suggestion @chickens really, but Liberty opted to stay in the flock.
I will partition off an area for her in the coop with fencing a couple of days before Hatch Day...... which takes me back to my original question! Lol!

Possibly she didn't like the litter box you used as the nest?
I just use straw and shavings..Oh well, best wishes. Hope you have adorable Chicks soon...

 

[aart]

Waited 30 minutes

That might not have been long enough...but what's done is done.
Try fake eggs in the other nests to entice the hens to use those for laying instead of the fav that broody is in.

I move a broody before I give her fresh fertile eggs to hatch out.
They don't like to be moved, but will settle back in within a few hours if they are seriously broody. I use fake eggs until she settles for 24 hours.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Thanks @aart! Most of my hens have figured out to lay in the nesting boxes next to my broody and even in the other coop where several other of my hens lay. There is always one, though, that waits until my broody gets up to lay on the fertile eggs! Maybe she wants to be a chick Nanny!
Anyway, thanks for the advice. I will remember that if I ever decide to put fertile eggs under a broody again!
I have used fake eggs and even golf balls before to teach my first flock where to lay. Thanks again.