Help! Chicks due any day and im goona be gone!

[americana-chick]

Ok so one of my hens went broody and she is due to hatch the 18th.... i am leaving on the 16th and wont be back until the 21st.... the chicks are all lookign good and moving around a lot inside their shell and i really want these chicks to be ok because there are some silkies in the mix but momma is in a large dog crate with food and water and her nest... the only problem is, is that it is cold outside so instead of the usual "broody hut" she is in the chicken coop and the baby chicks can easily squeeze through the sides of the dog crate and i am just affraid that one of the other chickens will attack the baby and kill it.. This would not be a big deal if i wasnt going to be gone but i am having my grandpa take care of them and he doesnt really know all that much about chickens. I just ran through the basics with him and i am affraid he will forget about the chick or something....
Help!

 

[blefky]

maybe get a short roll of hardware cloth, or other cover with small openings?

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Exactly, put some smaller wire around the bottom of the cage and you will be good to go. They will not wander too far from the mom..

 

[Diamond Wire Farms]

If you don't have the right size/length of wire, you can put cardboard around the lower portion of the dog crate wire. It is a little easier to cut and it will also block little drafts.

 

[ranchhand]

All good advice. I thought of something else though.
The nest she is in- does it have a raised edge or lip around it? If it does, either cut it down to floor level or remove it entirely. I ended up taking mine out and just giving the hen a pile of straw. You'll have to move quickly and quietly this close to hatching. The reason is that the chicks may wander out exploring and when they get cold and want to go back to the hen they can't climb back in the nest box.

Best wishes for the hatch!