Need advice!! Allowing hen to hatch chicks (our first time doing so), and have location questions

[Perris]

They would have to leave the coop which is raised (we have a ramp) but it may be challenging getting off.

getting down won't be a problem; it's getting back up that some find difficult, and you may need to help them for a couple of days by lifting them in at the end of the day.

My new chicks face this every time without problems, and some broody hens manage to get the whole brood back up all on their own too.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Mama hens are typically very protective of their chicks and the flock seems to know this, or figure it out pretty quickly. Within days of hatching, my two chicks were already hanging out with the flock. Here they are yesterday at two weeks.

 

[Perris]

It is the same here; here's one of mine, completely fine even though it is in the way of the adult hens and their dinner they just eat round it

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

We just had a broody hen hatch 7 eggs on Saturday. (One chick died though) We did not intend to have chicks but by the time I realized my husband was not willing to take eggs from under a broody hen they had developed. She remained in the nesting box (cut out milk carton with nesting pad) inside the coop until they hatched. We then moved her and her chicks to a brooder box that we put in our screened porch. They are doing fabulous. Once we put her in the box she showed them how to eat and drink. We are in FL so it is not getting cold (in the 60’s) at night so no issue about it being cold. They gather up under her in the evening and are out by daylight. This is a Buff Orpington we got from Rural King (Hoover) last April. This is her second time going broody and first time hatching eggs. She is turning out to be a terrific mom. The concern we had are the other chickens in the coop pecking the chicks thus we moved her out. We will need to work on a plan to integrate them back into the flock.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Since I'm on day 13, if I replace her eggs with fake ones to get her used to a new nest, what would I do with the other eggs that have been incubating?

Ah I missed that it was that far in. Don't swap eggs for any length of time. They will need to be removed for a bit to get everything shifted if you really need to move the hen but shouldn't be off heat for more than 15-30min.

Here is what I would do then:

• If you're committed to this particular batch of eggs and really have to move the hen, have an incubator on standby in case it goes wrong, because it definitely could.
• Build or find a nest box insert that she can be carried in that can be removed at night but roughly fits her current nesting space.
• During the DAY, pull her out and then carefully take eggs out. Put the box in the correct location, move the familiar bedding into it, return the eggs, then return the hen and let her move back onto the nest herself. Check that she actually does and don't just leave it. If she scoffs at the new setup and leaves for more than an hour to hang out with her flock, it's probably incubator time if you want to keep the eggs.
• Assuming she sits, then at NIGHT carefully take the eggs out from under her in the dark to transport them safely an separately. Then do the towel cover over the box, take the box out with her in it, and place into the new location. Keep it dark and return the eggs under her by sliding under her wing. She should shift the eggs where they need to go in the dark and then should be ok with the new location in the morning.
• Put food and water by the box so she doesn't have to move to eat/drink. Letting her sit in the nest for a day or so without having to leave will help her get used to the new location.

The reason I like to move the hen in the box rather than simply toweling the hen directly and trying to get her to go in a new box in the new location in the dark is that she is very likely to have a freakout during some part of that process due to too many things changing at once.

 

[balletchickenmom]

We just had a broody hen hatch 7 eggs on Saturday. (One chick died though) We did not intend to have chicks but by the time I realized my husband was not willing to take eggs from under a broody hen they had developed. She remained in the nesting box (cut out milk carton with nesting pad) inside the coop until they hatched. We then moved her and her chicks to a brooder box that we put in our screened porch. They are doing fabulous. Once we put her in the box she showed them how to eat and drink. We are in FL so it is not getting cold (in the 60’s) at night so no issue about it being cold. They gather up under her in the evening and are out by daylight. This is a Buff Orpington we got from Rural King (Hoover) last April. This is her second time going broody and first time hatching eggs. She is turning out to be a terrific mom. The concern we had are the other chickens in the coop pecking the chicks thus we moved her out. We will need to work on a plan to integrate them back into the flock.

Ooo this is super helpful! My boyfriend is really worried about the chicks droppings/food and water in the coop since it's not set up for that and can make a mess. So moving them after seem's like a potential option. How long after did you move her and the chicks to the brooder? 24-48 hours? Until they all hatched? What did you do about food for the chicks who had hatched in the coop before you moved them? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[fluffycrow]

My boyfriend is really worried about the chicks droppings/food and water in the coop since it's not set up for that and can make a mess.

I think you’ll find the broody raised chicks and process to be much cleaner than artificial brooding.

Adult chickens make a bigger mess compared to the chicks. I also wouldn’t worry about them messing up the nest. I haven’t found any of the nests used by a broody and her chicks here to be significantly dirtier than the other nests used by the rest, especially after their first day/outing. Some hens will choose to sleep with their brood elsewhere, solving this “problem” altogether.

Leaving the food and water where they already are should not be much of a problem. As mentioned by other posters, the chicks will learn to go up and down the ramp (photos of the ramp would also help), and will usually not require any help from you.

Good luck!

 

[balletchickenmom]

Ah I missed that it was that far in. Don't swap eggs for any length of time. They will need to be removed for a bit to get everything shifted if you really need to move the hen but shouldn't be off heat for more than 15-30min.

Here is what I would do then:

• If you're committed to this particular batch of eggs and really have to move the hen, have an incubator on standby in case it goes wrong, because it definitely could.
• Build or find a nest box insert that she can be carried in that can be removed at night but roughly fits her current nesting space.
• During the DAY, pull her out and then carefully take eggs out. Put the box in the correct location, move the familiar bedding into it, return the eggs, then return the hen and let her move back onto the nest herself. Check that she actually does and don't just leave it. If she scoffs at the new setup and leaves for more than an hour to hang out with her flock, it's probably incubator time if you want to keep the eggs.
• Assuming she sits, then at NIGHT carefully take the eggs out from under her in the dark to transport them safely an separately. Then do the towel cover over the box, take the box out with her in it, and place into the new location. Keep it dark and return the eggs under her by sliding under her wing. She should shift the eggs where they need to go in the dark and then should be ok with the new location in the morning.
• Put food and water by the box so she doesn't have to move to eat/drink. Letting her sit in the nest for a day or so without having to leave will help her get used to the new location.

The reason I like to move the hen in the box rather than simply toweling the hen directly and trying to get her to go in a new box in the new location in the dark is that she is very likely to have a freakout during some part of that process due to too many things changing at once.My boyfriend is really worried about the chicks droppings/food and water in the coop since it's not set up for that and can make a mess. So moving them after seem's like a potential option. How long after did you move her and the chicks to the brooder? 24-48 hours? Until they all hatched? What did you do about food for the chicks who had hatched in the coop before you moved them? Sorry for all the questions

I think you’ll find the broody raised chicks and process to be much cleaner than artificial brooding.

Adult chickens make a bigger mess compared to the chicks. I also wouldn’t worry about them messing up the nest. I haven’t found any of the nests used by a broody and her chicks here to be significantly dirtier than the other nests used by the rest, especially after their first day/outing. Some hens will choose to sleep with their brood elsewhere, solving this “problem” altogether.

Leaving the food and water where they already are should not be much of a problem. As mentioned by other posters, the chicks will learn to go up and down the ramp (photos of the ramp would also help), and will usually not require any help from you.

Good luck!

Oh wow! That's super helpful to know. Should I worry about the other adult hens eating their starter food? At least the chicks wont be able to reach the adult food since it's in PVC pipes and too high off the ground. I'm wondering about also moving them to an outdoor brooder in the run, not the coop, once the hatching is done if needed. I just don't know if mom will take to that/like it.