When to let my hen & chicks out with the flock

[NikShrout]

I have a hen that hatched eggs for the 1st time. when she started setting I moved her to a kennel inside of the run because the other hens kept adding to her clutch. when the four chicks were a day old I came home from work to find two dead baby chicks out in the run. Somehow they got out and the other chickens or roo killed them. so now it's only mama and babies in the run. My question is, when should I let her out with the rest of the flock and the other chickens not kill her babies? I now have another hen sitting in the coop and I don't want to move her but am afraid of the murderous other chickens killing her babies when they hatch too. . (I have only had chickens for a year so I am new to this killing of chicks behavior )

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Do you have evidence of the others killing them or did they get out, die without being able to get back to their mother, and then the flock picked at the bodies?

I have very little broody experience, but I can link you to an excellent article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/

 

[Ridgerunner]

The way I understand this you had the hen and her chicks locked in a kennel inside the run. The chicks were able to escape the kennel and went into the run with the other hens. The broody hen could not get out of the kennel to protect them and the other hens killed them. To me this is the biggest risk of trying to isolate a broody and chicks. If the chicks can get to where the broody hen cannot protect them they are at risk.

As I see it you have two options. Let the broody and her chicks out together. My broodies protect their babies but some people have broodies that won't.

The other option is to line that kennel with smaller mesh so the chicks cannot get out. If you are going to isolate them make sure they are isolated.

 

[NikShrout]

The way I understand this you had the hen and her chicks locked in a kennel inside the run. The chicks were able to escape the kennel and went into the run with the other hens. The broody hen could not get out of the kennel to protect them and the other hens killed them. To me this is the biggest risk of trying to isolate a broody and chicks. If the chicks can get to where the broody hen cannot protect them they are at risk.

As I see it you have two options. Let the broody and her chicks out together. My broodies protect their babies but some people have broodies that won't.

The other option is to line that kennel with smaller mesh so the chicks cannot get out. If you are going to isolate them make sure they are isolated.

You are correct in the old set up, but, I didn't think the chicks could get out. The hole's were small, but apparently not small enough. . Now, the mama and babies are the only ones in the run so they are protected from the others.

 

[NikShrout]

Welcome to BYC.

Do you have evidence of the others killing them or did they get out, die without being able to get back to their mother, and then the flock picked at the bodies?

I have very little broody experience, but I can link you to an excellent article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/

The heads were almost completely pulled off. I was home at lunchtime and they were fine so it happened in a span of 3.5 hours, so I don't think that they just died because of being away from mom in that short of a timeframe.
Thank you for the article! I will definitely read it!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I lost a chick when it got through a small crack at a gate and into a pen with a bunch of 8-week-olds. The hen could not get in there to protect the chick so they killed it. The sad part to me was that I planned to let the 8-week-olds out the next day to join the flock. If I had the hen would have protected her chick. This kind of stuff happens and it is how we learn but that doesn't make it easier.

 

[NikShrout]

Awwww. I'm sorry. It is so sad. I was really mad at myself because my husband had just said that morning that we should not let the others in the run as a safety measure. I was thinking "Well they can't get to them, so they should be fine!". lesson learned!

 

[CaretakerCarol]

How old are they? If under a week, your best option would be to let everyone out. Momma will integrate them. If you don't want to do that, you will need to provide a place that gives momma a healthy living space to wander and with a low roost. I would do this at any age, but after a week, the chicks become more adventurous. Do they have places to run and hide?

I now allow all my hatchlings to integrate naturally from day 1. In the past, I would provide a separate brooder run (4ft x 20ft) with a medium size dog house for nighttime. In those situations, momma would stay with them until 6-8 weeks. I would let her out and leave chicks enclosed until about 12 weeks - big enough to get out of the way.

The natural/momma way of introducing to the flock from day 1 has been very successful and a lot less work.

 

[NikShrout]

How old are they? If under a week, your best option would be to let everyone out. Momma will integrate them. If you don't want to do that, you will need to provide a place that gives momma a healthy living space to wander and with a low roost. I would do this at any age, but after a week, the chicks become more adventurous. Do they have places to run and hide?

I now allow all my hatchlings to integrate naturally from day 1. In the past, I would provide a separate brooder run (4ft x 20ft) with a medium size dog house for nighttime. In those situations, momma would stay with them until 6-8 weeks. I would let her out and leave chicks enclosed until about 12 weeks - big enough to get out of the way.

The natural/momma way of introducing to the flock from day 1 has been very successful and a lot less work.

Thank you for your reply! They are a little over a week old now. She has full run of a 12x24 foot run with a dog kennel nesting spot within that. Do you think it's too late to let them out now since they are over a week old? I guess that I am just a "chicken " and afraid of losing the babies.

 

[aart]

I let my broody back in with the flock about a week after hatch.
Usually the chicks are safe, it's the broody fighting with the other hens that causes the most chaos, this is often short lived.
The chicks can retreat to the floor nests they were hatched in.