When should I give my chicks food?

[Okaythen]

My hen hatched one egg yesterday and another one today. The 1-day-old chick seems interested in eating, but I’m unsure whether I should give it food now or wait until all the chicks have hatched?

 

[fluffycrow]

You could provide a small feeder and waterer next to/in the nest (depending on your setup), which is what I try to do when I feel like the first chick has been active and ready to leave the nest for too long.

Usually though, mum has it covered and there’s no reason for us to interfere. This does depend on how experienced the broody is; more experienced hens are smoother in the hatching process, having their own way of doing things. No matter the experience level, the vast majority of broodies will abandon the eggs and the nest after some time, in favour of their first chicks.

So really, mum knows best.

I’ve found that a good sign of when to introduce food and water in the nest is when the broody will cluck and call to any chicks that have hatched, trying to get them to look through the nesting material for anything to eat, but at the same time staying put, indicating that the hatch is ongoing