Sheila Congratulations to your hen on her little ones! Yes, it is an awesome thing to watch (see Luke 13:14)! We have had broodies hatch out eggs 4 times now. It sounds like youÂre doing all the right things. One of our broodies (2 clutches of eggs) stayed in a separate pen/house with the chicks until exactly 4 weeks when she laid a first egg; after that she got kind of mean to the chicks and just wanted to join the flock. We kept the chicks in the small pen/house for a couple of more weeks. One stayed happily in the pen/house with the chicks until they were 7 weeks. She started laying and the chicks were about ready to be on their own in the flock. Most recently (May), a broody hatched out only one chick and was wonderful mom. At 4 ½ weeks she started laying and was increasingly eager to get back with the flock. But I was afraid the chick at 5 weeks was not ready to be with the others. So I let them both out late in the evening (most were on their roosts for the night). The Mom went in the coop. The chick was quite distressed and kept going back to their little pen/house. I finally picked her up and put her in the big coop on a low roost. She has been fine. Spent a little time with the mom the next day but for the most part they are no longer together. Our chickens are free range, all day. They go into their coop at dusk. With all the broodies, when the chicks were about 3-4 weeks, I would let them out late in the evening. They followed the mom and she watched them. They would return to their pen/house. Dianne

I let my flock out every afternoon too. If I let them out in the morning, they are too lazy to walk all the way back to the coop, and I'll find eggs in my big plant pots on the patio(G). Hens are amazing hunters! I always laugh when they zigzag trying to capture butterflies, and cringe when they catch lizards, small snakes and frogs. If they can swallow it, they do! The only things mine don't like are sweets, such as donuts or cake leftover from work. They get lots of healthy leftovers, and we always get a "chicken bag" when we eat out. They come running when they see my van(G). The eggs are superb! Grocery store ones look so anaemic and runny. Yuck! Lisa

Hello and thanks much for the replies. Patrick, they do have a shelter (a chicken coupe... or duck house now :) ) and we have a chicken wire fence around a very small yard around it but when they got old enough, we let them out (you're right... we started with four and the dog got two of them before we made her understand that these ducks are not for eating and she now protects them as members of the 'pack' ). We have food and water and a little kiddy wading pool inside the fence for them but they bolt out of there as soon as they see us coming to shut them in and the male has discovered a way (probably over the top) to get out of the fence. We shut them in the duck house a couple of nights but it took alot of chasing them around to get them to go in there. Any suggestions? I was hoping that maybe between the nest dug into the ground, her feathers and leaves, the protection from the wind, and her body heat they may survive ... but no? She is really protective of her nest. I even dug a little place in the bedding in thier building and put the first scattered eggs into them (which have now been blown out and used for pysanky) and shut them in the building for a couple nights (which is equipt with a heat lamp) but they seem uninterested in it. Maybe I should move her eggs (even if they are not 'viable') into the building along with her nesting materials??? and turn on the heat lamp... I almost hate to encourage her to lay more eggs in a nest that is not in the building.

Lisa, I'm also in the north, and I agree the Blues have no trouble with cold. My concern is them finding enough food. We also had below freezing temps last night, and today has been cold, rainy, and very windy. I know mealworms are supposed to be used as supplements and for emergencies, and I considered today's weather to be an emergency. I don't think the parents could have found enough food for themselves much less their young today. I fed mine before going to work this morning, thinking the weather would improve during the day since it was sunny when I left. It got much worse really quickly and Mr. Blue was waiting for me when I got home. I have already fed them six times since. They have five (5 day old) young in that nest, and I think they would have starved without being fed. The parent birds have been very grateful for my handouts. They have been feeding and bringing out fecal sacks, so I believe the young are fine. But the wind is scary. So far the nestbox has stood up to these wind gusts. The weather is supposed to improve tomorrow and that will be a huge relief for me.