Where can my mother hen raise the babies?

[21_chickens]

Hi everyone! i have a broody hen that has been broody for about a month now. We bought 4 babies chickens and were hoping to allow the hen to raise the babies. we blocked off one of the nesting boxes and the hen is currently laying with the babies sleeping underneath her. i have 4 questions...
1.) is it ok to allow the hen to raise the chicks?
2.) how will they eat at night
3.) if she can raise them, am i ok to just block off a nesting box and leave them in there?
4.) if not, where can i put the hen and the babies overnight?
thanks everyone!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

1. Yes
2. They won't, the chicks will follow mama's lead.
3, 4. Don't block off the box, let the mama decide when she wants them to go in and out. They can stay in the nest at night until they're done brooding.

 

[50-45-1]

Dont block them in the nest box.
She will bring them out to eat and drink, is it a safe distance from the floor so the chicks can safely get out of the nest box?
They will need chick starter and a safe for chicks waterer. Chicks can sometimes drown in adult chicken waterers.
I would observe the other chickens around the chicks for the first day or so to make sure they dont bother mom and her new babies. Sometimes there are fights and new chicks can be injured. Rare but it does happen sometimes.
Congrats on your new chick family!