New Chick questions...post 10

[old fashioned]

Momma hen hatched 8 baby chicks out of a 10 egg clutch. We've already moved them to the nursery (nest box) to be in a more controlled environment instead of loose in the yard for safety sake. I've been keeping a close eye on everybody & noticed Momma hen has been teaching them to scratch & peck for food on the floor of the box more than eating out of the feeder. So now I wonder if I should move them again to an enclosed area of the yard so they have access to real dirt, but I'm not so sure if it's a good idea to keep moving them. Or can we put them out for an hour or so at a time but put them back in the box after? The box is getting kinda stinky & needs a good cleaning out. Any thoughts or ideas on this????

Also, how long should I keep them 'locked up' before letting them out to free range permanently??? The rooster & other hen have been hanging out around the coop alot & seem to be curious about all the 'cheeping' going on, but I don't think they'd hurt the chicks & I'm pretty sure Momma hen would put them in their place if they got too close

 

[colowyo0809]

I know alot of people say to keep the momma hen and the chicks separated until the babies are like a month old or something but we've never done this. Anytime our hens go broody they sit the nest in the coop, and hatch the eggs, and then go wandering around with them. We have yet to have a problem. It probably helps that we keep our roosters in line with swift boots to the rears when needed I would say just watch the interactions for a couple days to make sure there are no real problems, but if you free range anyways then just let them loose

 

[Marianne]

I was surprised to see the neighbors momma hen free ranging with little chicks following along behind her. They said they didn't have any problems, that if another hen got too close, momma ran her off in short order.

I buy chicks from Orschelin's as I don't keep roosters here. I just fenced off an area inside the coop so the big birds could see the chicks and get used to them. I did let them get bigger before I took down the fencing. Other than getting the pecking order lined out, there weren't any problems.

 

[old fashioned]

Thanks for the info. I'd prefer they were loose, I just wasn't so sure since we live in town with only a fenced backyard and that fence has some gaps in it that would be near impossible to patch. Since the chicks are of the bantam type they are only about half the size of a golfball with legs My concern of them being loose in the yard has been about getting thru the fence & neighbor dogs getting them or wild hawks or eagles & any rats around here. I'm sure Momma would fight off any rats, no problem...but if they got out of the yard it could be a different story---chicks being seperated from Momma & all.
I'm pretty sure the chicks would stay fairly close to Momma atleast for awhile, but chicks are like any kids......sooner or later they will stray for independence and that could be a problem.

 

[colowyo0809]

Thanks for the info. I'd prefer they were loose, I just wasn't so sure since we live in town with only a fenced backyard and that fence has some gaps in it that would be near impossible to patch. Since the chicks are of the bantam type they are only about half the size of a golfball with legs My concern of them being loose in the yard has been about getting thru the fence & neighbor dogs getting them or wild hawks or eagles & any rats around here. I'm sure Momma would fight off any rats, no problem...but if they got out of the yard it could be a different story---chicks being seperated from Momma & all.
I'm pretty sure the chicks would stay fairly close to Momma atleast for awhile, but chicks are like any kids......sooner or later they will stray for independence and that could be a problem.

I would suggest getting some old plywood or something and just blocking those gaps for now. Ours sometimes liked to walk with momma along the fence, but on the other side

 

[GaFarmGirl]

It has been my experience that mama hens are pretty good at rounding everyone up when needed. All the chicks need to do is hide under her wings for some safety. I would not be surprised if she stayed near low bushes she she could hurry them under there to keep hawks away. I sometimes have to remind myself when dealing with our animals that they have done this for many a year without me there to guide them, they have incredible instincts. She will be just fine as long as you can lock her up someplace safe at night.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we have a special 'baby yard' for our babies or babies with mommas. and then we just let everyone out on their out as soon as we are fairly sure they are too big to drown in a bucket of water (you'd be surprised how many chicks land in buckets!). our mommas are really good with their babies and our littlest hen would take on the turkeys, a roo, and our barncat to keep the babies safe. for the record Shine our King of Barncats was just walkin' along... he wasnt interested in the babies at all.

;-)

an easy fix for your fence would be to get one of those $20ish rolls of 1 inch chicken wire - you can probably even get a pretty short version - and run it along the inside of your fence to keep everyone in. this is what we do with the baby yard to keep them from wiggling out.

 

[ORChick]

I had a broody hen for the first time a few months ago. I had a separate area set up within the larger run for them - a little 3 sided "coop", and then a chicken wire fence. They were in with the big hens, but with the chicken wire between them. That didn't last long, as Mama kept flying over, so I finally let them run around in the big run, and they were all fine. I did not let them out to free range until they were bigger as I have cats. The cats leave the big birds alone, but the babies, I could tell, were very tempting - just the right size, and they make such interesting noises! They were probably about 8-9 weeks old before I let them out of the run without supervision, but I probably could have done it sooner. Mama hen was very protective, and, except for the cats, I wasn't too concerned; I was pretty sure she would hide them under the bushes if need be.

 

[old fashioned]

Earlier I had taken off the door to the box to let everyone out to explore. Only Momma came out, then went right back in...so after about an hour or so we moved them to the enclosed area of the yard so they can get their feet in the dirt. I set up the portable dog house for a shelter, and I put a plastic tub on it's side to hold their feeder & waterer while keeping it sheltered from the weather. Today it's been cloudy & a few sprinkles so no biggy...yet.

I noticed Momma has now taught them how to 'dust' themselves & lay in the dirt

 

[old fashioned]

Okay these little buggers are growing by leaps & bounds and yesterday I noticed they've been testing out their wings and legs AKA jumping & fluttering/flying......as in atleast 2 ft high or better. It was a good thing it hasn't been windy or they'd have taken off like little jets

How soon should I clip their wings?

And how long before Momma starts laying again?