[valgrace]

Hi I'm a hoping for some advice as I'm a very new chicken owner. I had a French Maran go very, very broody on me and nothing I did seemed to break her broodiness. So I gave in a got some fertile eggs and yesterday two adorable chicks hatched out. We have put mother and babies in a separate wire pen within the main pen. The other 3 hens also have a quite big free-range fenced area outside. How long do you usually have to separate them for? The broody hen was previously the top girl will this help with the others accepting the chicks?

[Pretty Chick]

Welcome to the forums valgrace  .

Congratulations (are you able to post some photos on here? It would be nice to see some of the chicks ).

I have hatched one chick (Joe, my avatar) and kept him and his broody mum (called Albertine/Bertie) in a pen within our chickens' cages/enclosures until Joe was around 8 weeks old, just to be on the safe side.
Albertine is 2nd of 18 in the pecking order and once she and Joe were let out with the other hens, she stood no nonsense and allowed nobody too near Joe. When Albertine's back was turned, occasionally the other hens gave Joe a quick tap on the head, but then Bertie shooed them off.

[joyfull]

mine were out and about when they were a week old - I kept them in their run until about 10am just to make sure no crows were passing overhead - and to ensure they had plenty of chick crumb. The other girls and the cockerels were fine with them. This years babies are now 9 and 7 weeks old and all doing fine 

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, mine were the same as Joys and out and about with mum very young....just watch for things that can take them like magpies, crows, herons etc...mine are now 9 weeks old, totally independant, and very much part of the flock

[Pretty Chick]

I suppose I'm a bit of a worrier, keeping the chicks completely safe for 8 weeks   

[dizzylizzie]

I suppose I'm a bit of a worrier, keeping the chicks completely safe for 8 weeks   

my hens are safe!

[Pretty Chick]

I suppose I'm a bit of a worrier, keeping the chicks completely safe for 8 weeks    

my hens are safe!

Yes, of course your hens are safe. I was talking about myself and meant I keep the chicks safe from the other hens until they are 8 weeks of age and YOU said that you let them with the other hens after 1 week.

[joyfull]

it was me who said I let my chicks out at 1 week and I have never ever had a problem doing this - any problems and they go under mum. You have to know your chickens really well to know how they would react doing this and I am very confident with mine. However as I now have guinea fowl with my next hatching I will have to see how they are with new chicks.

[Pretty Chick]

it was me who said I let my chicks out at 1 week

Lizzie said she does the same as you though Joy

[dizzylizzie]

  whatever!

[Pretty Chick]

whatever!

Yes, I didn't mean to cause offence. Anyway, after all I was talking about myself.