Hi y'all! new here and have a bit of a unique situation, I think, and looking for much needed advice! 
One of our sweet brahma chickens, Lavender, went broody back in the spring. After two months of trying to help her, it was clear she wanted babies and nothing would keep her out of the nesting box. Since we live in the city, no roosters allowed (you can do the math of why she can't have babies heehee!). Long story short, my friend who has a farm suggested giving us fertile duck eggs for her to hatch. Three of the eggs have babies arriving any day now!! We are very excited to meet them and Lavender has been one happy chicken mama nesting on them for the last 3 weeks. Here is where I need help. What do I do once they hatch? I've raised baby chicks in a brooder before, but this is such a different situation. We are keeping them until they are old enough to return to the farm. But once hatched, do I leave them in the coop with the mama and other chickens? Or do mama/babies need a separate space now? When do the babies need chick feed and water? Not sure how to provide that if they are in the nesting box with mama in the coop. My hope would be to find a way to keep them in the coop with mama because I really don't have another place for them. I didn't quite think this through went getting the fertilizer duck eggs. Help from crazy a chicken/duck/animal lover!!
One of our sweet brahma chickens, Lavender, went broody back in the spring. After two months of trying to help her, it was clear she wanted babies and nothing would keep her out of the nesting box. Since we live in the city, no roosters allowed (you can do the math of why she can't have babies heehee!). Long story short, my friend who has a farm suggested giving us fertile duck eggs for her to hatch. Three of the eggs have babies arriving any day now!! We are very excited to meet them and Lavender has been one happy chicken mama nesting on them for the last 3 weeks. Here is where I need help. What do I do once they hatch? I've raised baby chicks in a brooder before, but this is such a different situation. We are keeping them until they are old enough to return to the farm. But once hatched, do I leave them in the coop with the mama and other chickens? Or do mama/babies need a separate space now? When do the babies need chick feed and water? Not sure how to provide that if they are in the nesting box with mama in the coop. My hope would be to find a way to keep them in the coop with mama because I really don't have another place for them. I didn't quite think this through went getting the fertilizer duck eggs. Help from crazy a chicken/duck/animal lover!!
