Claire Thompson
When a mother hen is raising her chicks, she takes on most of the responsibility, teaching them how to forage, dust, and survive. However, there are still some things you can do to care for a hen and her chicks. Before the chicks hatch, you should set up a brooding box for the mother hen to nest in, ensuring she has space to stretch her legs, relieve herself, eat and drink. After the chicks hatch, you should keep them in a separate area for two to three days, after which they can integrate with the rest of the flock. You should also provide chick starter feed, grit, and treats to fulfill the chicks' dietary requirements.
How to care for a hen and her chicks
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Brooding box | Needs to be large enough to accommodate the hen and her chicks once they hatch. |
| Brooding box features | Area for the hen to build her nest, space to leave the nest, stretch her legs, relieve herself, and access food and water. |
| Nesting boxes | One box for every 4-6 hens. |
| Nesting areas | Dark, quiet area of the coop with fresh pine shavings or straw. |
| Heat | Install a heat lamp over the brooder to ensure sufficient heat for the first few weeks of a chick's life. |
| Food | Provide chick starter feed, grit, and treats to fulfill dietary requirements. Oyster shells and cooked eggs are good sources of calcium. |
| Water | Provide fresh water daily. |
| Dietary changes | From week 18, they can eat regular layer feed like other chickens. |
| Integration with the flock | Keep the hen and her chicks in a separate area for the first 2-3 days, then let them integrate with the flock. |
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What You'll Learn
- Provide a nesting box, separate from the flock, with sleeping quarters and a run
- Ensure the hen has access to food, water, and a clean environment
- Install a heat lamp for the chicks' first few weeks
- Provide chick grit to aid digestion when they start eating treats
- Allow the hen to teach her chicks to source food and water
Provide a nesting box, separate from the flock, with sleeping quarters and a run
When preparing a nesting box for a hen and her chicks, it is important to provide a separate, secure, and comfortable space. The nesting box should be placed in a quiet, dark area of the coop, away from the flock, to ensure privacy and peace for the mother hen and her chicks. This area should be regularly cleaned and stocked with fresh pine shavings or straw, encouraging the hen to brood and lay her eggs in the designated space.
To create a comfortable sleeping quarter for the hen and her chicks, you can provide a smaller broody henhouse or coop within the nesting box area. This structure should be sturdy and secure enough to protect the mother and her chicks from predators. It should also be well-ventilated and include a roost, placed higher than the nesting boxes, to encourage the chickens to roost there instead of on top of the nesting boxes.
In the first few weeks of the chicks' lives, heat is crucial. Be sure to install a heat lamp over their brooder to provide sufficient warmth. Additionally, it is important to keep the nesting box and sleeping quarters clean and sanitary. You can place the roost on a piece of plywood to make cleaning easier and to prevent droppings from falling into the coop.
The nesting box should also include a run, which is an enclosed outdoor space where the hen and her chicks can exercise and forage. The run should be attached to the coop and easily accessible for the chickens, with a small opening to enter and exit. It should be well-protected from predators and provide ample space for the chickens to move around and explore.
After the first two to three days of keeping the hen and her chicks separate, you can gradually introduce them to the flock. The mother hen will be protective of her chicks and will guide them with her natural instincts. She will teach them essential skills, such as foraging for food and water, through unique cluck sounds and behaviours.
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Ensure the hen has access to food, water, and a clean environment
When a mother hen is raising her chicks, she will teach them how to source food and water, and how to forage. However, it is still important to ensure that she has access to sufficient food and water, as well as a clean environment, so that she can properly care for her brood.
During the incubation process, the mother hen will need to be provided with fresh, clean water daily. Adding probiotics or electrolytes to the water can also be beneficial. The hen can be fed regular layer feed, or switched to chick starter food to provide extra protein as she will be losing weight and consuming less food during incubation.
Once the chicks have hatched, the mother hen and her brood will need to be kept in a separate area from the rest of the flock for two to three days. After this, they can be integrated. The mother hen will continue to teach her chicks how to forage for food and drink water, but you will need to provide chick starter feed, grit, and treats to fulfil their dietary requirements. Oyster shells can be given to provide extra calcium, and cooked eggs will provide protein.
It is important to regularly clean the hen's nesting area, removing any broken eggshells and unhatched eggs. Nesting boxes should be kept in a dark, quiet area and regularly stocked with fresh pine shavings or straw. The hen should have enough space to relieve herself away from her nest and eggs, and access to the outdoors and a dust bathing spot are also beneficial.
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Install a heat lamp for the chicks' first few weeks
Heat is crucial in the first few weeks of a chick's life. A heat lamp is a critical component in providing a warm and comfortable environment for your chicks. It is essential to use a lamp with a red bulb, as this type of bulb mimics the warmth of a hen's body heat, making the chicks feel safe and secure. Red heat lamp bulbs are typically 250 watts and emit red light. This bulb wattage is very important to use when brooding in cool months, especially in unheated buildings because it emits a great amount of heat. You can also use a 125-watt bulb, which is a much lower wattage than the red light, but it is clear. This can cause a little issue with chicks because anything interesting at all on the other chicks and they can see it clearly.
When setting up your heat lamp, you need to take into consideration how well the lamp is secured. You should hang the lamp over a secure surface, such as a sturdy brooder box or a metal bracket. The lamp should be suspended about 18 to 24 inches above the surface where the chicks will be. Make sure to secure the lamp in place to prevent it from falling, as this could cause injury or death. The ideal temperature for chicks is 95°F (35°C) during the first week and gradually reducing by 5°F (2.8°C) per week. To maintain this temperature, you can use a thermometer to monitor the temperature in the brooder.
It is important to note that heat lamps can pose a fire hazard and must be used with caution. You should also be mindful of the bedding and the cord, as well as any potential sources of interference, such as cats, dogs, or toddlers, that could bump into the lamp.
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Provide chick grit to aid digestion when they start eating treats
Chickens do not have teeth, so they rely on grit to grind down their food in their gizzard. Chick grit is specifically designed to aid digestion in chicks and can be made from either flint or granite, or oyster shells. It is crucial to introduce grit to your chicks once they start eating foods other than crumbles, usually between 8 and 12 weeks of age.
Chick grit is essential to help break down food and make digestion easier and more efficient. It lodges in the bird's gizzard, where muscular action grinds the grit together with the food to break it down. Over time, each piece of grit gets ground up, so the gizzard's supply needs to be frequently replaced.
There are two main types of grit: insoluble grit (e.g. flint) and soluble grit (e.g. oyster shell grit). Insoluble grit helps grind down food for easier digestion and comes in various sizes to match the age and size of the bird. It is more expensive than soluble grit, which dissolves in the digestive system. Soluble grit, made from sources such as oyster shells, limestone, or cockle shells, not only aids in digestion but also provides a valuable source of calcium, strengthening eggshells and bones.
You can offer chick grit in a separate feeder or dish and let your chicks help themselves as needed. It can also be mixed directly with their regular feed. However, it is important to know the right balance and not to overdo it, as some chicken breeds are more prone to impaction. Sand can be used as grit, especially in a brooder, but it should not be used for very young chicks as it can cause impaction.
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Allow the hen to teach her chicks to source food and water
When a mother hen raises her chicks, the process is more natural and less work for the human caretaker. The chicks learn early on how to care for themselves, forage, and dust. They feather more quickly and learn flock and pecking behaviour at an earlier stage. Their survival instincts are also stronger.
The mama hen will keep a close eye on her babies and not let the other hens get to them. Her natural mother instincts will guide the chicks in their first few weeks. When the chicks are about 8-10 weeks old, the mother hen will decide if they are ready to spread their wings and go out into the world by themselves. Many mama hens let their chicks run free around 6-7 weeks old. By this time, she has taught them enough to brave the world on their own.
Once the mama hen feels that hatching is completed, she will lead them out into the run and will start to teach them how to source food and water. She will guide and reassure them by making unique cluck sounds. When she scratches in leaves or dirt, revealing food, she'll give a special higher-pitched cluck that means, "Come here and eat, kids." This way, chicks will quickly learn how to forage for themselves.
You can also encourage the mother hen to teach her chicks to eat by tapping the food with your finger (the chick will interpret this as pecking at the food) and saying, "Chick, chick!"
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Frequently asked questions
Provide the mother hen with a brooding box or pen, which includes a nesting area, sleeping quarters, a run, and access to the outdoors. Refresh her water daily and provide her with food such as regular layer feed or chick starter food.
Ensure the mother hen has the resources to care for her brood, including food, water, and a clean environment. You can inspect any remaining eggs to see if they will hatch and remove any broken eggshells.
The mother hen will teach her chicks how to source food and water, using unique clucking sounds. She will also guide them in learning how to forage, dust, and exhibit flock and pecking behaviour.
