There is something very special about having a broody hen with chicks around but you cannot leave all the work to her if the youngsters are to thrive. If possible, let the broody stay with her chicks in the same location that she incubated the eggs and hatched them. Clean the area if you can without disturbing her, or change the cardboard box and put new shavings down if that is what she was in.

Do not move her to a new home until she is well and truly bonded to the chicks and they to her. When a broody is moved to soon she might just abandon the chicks, having been completely disorientated and unsure of what is happening.

They can be moved to an outside broody coop and pen after a week to ten days but much will depend on the weather at the time. Don't put her outside in a coop unless the weather is mild and no severe winds or rain are forecast.

If it is windy and wet they will be better off sheltered inside where they can run around and feed without getting cold. A broody will get agitated if she has to keep brooding the chicks under her to keep them warm, because she will realise that if they are trying to keep warm under her they are missing out on eating. Chicks that are hatched in an incubator and therefore do not have a broody to care for them are kept under a heat lamp for about six weeks.

As they grow the lamp is gradually raised so the chicks become used to less heat, then, when they are fully feathered, they should be able to cope comfortably without it.

By the time they are around five or six weeks old, chicks with a broody hen will also have grown considerably.

However, they still try to go to bed under the broody, even though they may be nearly the same size as her. Some broodies do not mind this at all and I have even known chicks to remain with a broody for the time it takes her to start her laying cycle again.

The youngsters should really be separated from her then as she has physically completed her task of bringing up the chicks and will want to return to 'normal' life. It is not advisable to leave a cockerel in with a broody and chicks but sometimes a cockerel will sit by a broody, especially if she is one of his favourite hens and will even help with brooding the chicks.

Don't assume that all cockerels will react like this, for some will not want chicks around and may even attack them.

Just like all living creatures, some broodies make better mothers than others. It is very important to keep a close eye on a broody and her chicks to see how she is coping and what type of temperament she has.

A few pure breeds do not make good mothers and after the initial excitement of hatching chicks and having them around for a while a broody will get into a strop and refuse to sit and brood them, having decided that motherhood is no longer for her.

If you have an example of this happening don't persist with trying to get her to look after the chicks.

Take the chicks away and put them in a safe place under some heat. Having been used to snuggling under a broody hen they will feel rather lost for a while but with warmth above them and each other they will soon adapt.

Don't tolerate non-maternal behaviour because it will be a disaster waiting to happen and then you will regret not doing something about it earlier.

Before a broody is set on a clutch of eggs she should have been dusted with louse powder to eradicate any external parasites.

The presence of lice, mites or fleas is one reason why a broody might not remain on her eggs to incubate them, or brood her young.

If she has external parasites she will feel rather uncomfortable and this will make her irritable. Even if she does stay with the chicks, the parasites will also move to them, which would be very detrimental.

The last thing tiny chicks need is a challenge to their health in this way.

Beware that there are no awkward corners or places where tiny chicks could get stuck if they begin to explore.

They can easily become wedged or slip onto their backs and the energy required to struggle to get free could mean that they soon perish. Should you find a chick stuck behind something and unable to move, gently pick it up, dip its beak into some water to encourage it to have a drink and place it back under the broody or heat lamp to get warm again.

Once it has regained some warmth it should get its energy back. A warm, dry environment for them is essential but so also is the correct feed. Chicks require chick crumbs until they are five to six weeks old.

This tiny, crumb-like feed is small enough for chicks to eat and easily digest. To encourage them mix in some finely chopped up hard-boiled egg into the crumbs.

The chicks will love this and so will the broody. It is also important to include a little chick grit after a few days. The particles are so small they are similar to sand but this helps a very young gizzard to grind the feed and aids absorption of the nutrients.

Chick crumbs should be placed in a shallow feeder which the chicks can easily get to. This feeder, along with its contents will probably need to be cleaned out several times a day as chicks will not think about where they are defecating and the last thing you want is young birds pecking at waste material. Chicks require shallow, narrow lipped drinkers, this is to prevent them getting into the water and drowning. Even under a heat lamp, if a chick gets it’s down damp it may chill and die very quickly. It is very important that the sides of the drinker are sufficiently low enough for the chick to reach - I have seen pots of water put out for chicks and I have no idea how the little things are to reach up and actually drink from them. Plastic chick drinkers are quite cheap and well worth having if you are rearing chicks.

A few drops of poultry tonic added to the drinking water will also help boost the condition of the chicks as well as the broody. From five weeks of age, gradually introduce the chicks to poultry grower pellets by mixing some in with the chick crumbs. After about a week, if the chicks are taking the pellets, transfer them to this feed.

Ensure that the litter that chicks are on is cleaned regularly. This not only helps to keep bacterial infections at bay but also prevents the chicks from getting balled feet.

Damp and soiled litter becomes stuck to tiny claws and a ball of hard dirt will form around the claw.

If this happens do not pull the ball off because the claw will be removed as well. Carefully pick away at the dirt so as to dislodge it from around the claw without putting any pressure on it. Ideally, prevent this from happening in the first place.

After caring for their everyday needs do think about harassment factors. It would be lovely to see a broody hen walking around the garden with chicks following on behind her.

However, when they are so small chicks are immensely vulnerable to predators, so it is sensible to contain them in a wire, chick mesh penned area with either wire mesh or netting overhead.

Cats and dogs could well be a problem, especially if you have a 'working' dog such as a Jack Russell or a cat that catches wild birds.

There could also be danger lurking in the sky in the form of birds of prey. Although recently published research by the BTO found that there was little evidence to suggest that an increase in avian predators was linked to a large-scale demise of songbirds, the study reported that associations between the increase in the number of Sparrowhawks over the last 40 years and declines in some songbirds was worthy of further investigation. Until I erected a chick mesh barrier and gate to the opening in my barn, I used to have a Sparrowhawk fly into the barn regularly, obviously drawn by the 'birdy' sounds inside.

As well as Sparrowhawks there are also Buzzards where I live so all bantams, as well as chicks are protected. A broody will do her utmost to protect her chicks but it is not right that she or her chicks should be put at any unnecessary risk, which is why containment and protection is kinder that free-range until the chicks are fully grown.