adopted mother :)

My hen is laying on her eggs and one just hatched like 10 min and the chick is out! i just bought 17 chicks from the auction yesterday and they are 2 days old so i put 3 with her and she is totally bonded to them as if she hatched them haha,i couldnt put all of the 17 under her because she is only a bantam.So they would be cold at night!

bit late in answering this but you can shut her in with all the chicks and she will manage to keep them warm alllowing them out in the daytime .. you should really have thought about the number of chicks you got initiallly .aim for about 8 per bird in future . using a heat lamp for chicks is ok taake a normal house bulb and suspend it above the pen and the chicks will go to the heat source . keep thebulb about 12 to 18 inches from the flooring . and make sure tey have adequate water and chick crumb if you go the heat bulb path hope that helps