Moving mom & chicks

[Elliemae1984]

Would love some experienced opinions on when I can/should reintroduce my hen and her chicks to the other adults.

I hatched out 12 silkie chicks and gave them to my broody hen. At first I left mom and chicks in the coop with the other adults (1 hen, 2 roos) and the other adults were great with the chicks. But they cuddle puddle *aggressively* to sleep and 2 chicks were smushed.

So to keep the chicks safe I moved mom and babies to their own coop. They are now 3-4 weeks old and doing great, but I’m wondering when I should reintroduce them.

I was going to wait until 8 weeks when they’re fully feathered…but that seems a bit late. Thoughts?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I generally fence off the mom and brood right inside the coop, and I release chicks and mom under supervision at 1-2 weeks of age.

You will need to set up a pen so the flock can see them for a few days at least before try to mingle them again. Chicks under 2 weeks sometimes aren't strong enough or smart enough to get out of the way of the rest of the flock. By 2 weeks they are more ready to run the gauntlet.

 

[Henora]

I generally fence off the mom and brood right inside the coop, and I release chicks and mom under supervision at 1-2 weeks of age.

You will need to set up a pen so the flock can see them for a few days at least before try to mingle them again. Chicks under 2 weeks sometimes aren't strong enough or smart enough to get out of the way of the rest of the flock. By 2 weeks they are more ready to run the gauntlet.

I have a broody hen and am trying to decide if I should move her now to a baby coop (penned off corner of her run but with its own small box) or let her brood in the coop and remove the extra eggs daily. What do you recommend?