Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[PoachedPlease]

.. Now I know so I thought I would share..

 

My wonderful broody has been in the shed with two 3 week old light sussex chicks. She is let out to free range for an hour a day in the garden but clearly wants more. So I thought that I would see if she could mix back with the flock in their eglu fenced area, which would make life easier.

 

I let my hybrids out into the main garden with broody this morning so they all had plenty of space and watched to see if all ok. But my gorgeous friendly sweet Maran went straight up to broody hen and pecked out her neck feathere and ate it (not a peep out of broody). Then quick as anything picked up one of the chicks by its neck and went to run off with it. I chased her and she let go, but then broody went and pecked ME! Needless to say chicks are back in the shed and the other hens are back in their area...

 

This doesn't look good does it? I thought the mom would protect her chicks but poor girl is lowest in the pecking order herself. Any thoughts?

 

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[sjp]

I let my broodies and chicks FR with the mob once the chicks are a week old but I've got broodies that are strong willed and a mob including 2 cockerels that I know are fine with chicks about. I've got 3 -7 week old chicks still with a broody that know with hens to avoid but they have the confidence to get in the middle of a feeding frenzy when the treats are out and the confidence to go off on their own out of sight of mom mind one of them is a gobby cuckoo maran so she always knows were they are