- Nov 3, 2013
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This winter, we lost one of our sweet bantam hens and although we miss and love her, are ready for another chicken. We live in the suburbs, so no roosters allowed, but we thought about maybe slipping a chick or two underneath a broody hen this spring/summer. This would be our first time doing this, so I just have a few questions:
-Are there any drawbacks on bantams vs standard sizes while adopting?
-Is it possible to only have the hen adopt one or two chick(s)?
-How do I choose which hen should adopt?
-Is it better if I have her adopt more or less chicks?
-Should the chicks be the same breed (bantams with bantams, standards with standards, of course. But breeds meaning cochins, plymouth rocks, ect.)
-At what age should I let the mama and her chicks roam around freely with my other two hens (same age as mama)?
-Will the other hens (including mama) pick on the chicks after they become old enough to fend for themselves?
-I can only keep one chick. Will that affect anything?
-Is this easier than raising them yourself?
-Is it worth it?
I know that's a lot of questions. you don't have to answer all of them, just the ones you know. If I do decide to do this, I really don't want to screw it up (#crazychickenlady). Thanks for the help!
-Are there any drawbacks on bantams vs standard sizes while adopting?
-Is it possible to only have the hen adopt one or two chick(s)?
-How do I choose which hen should adopt?
-Is it better if I have her adopt more or less chicks?
-Should the chicks be the same breed (bantams with bantams, standards with standards, of course. But breeds meaning cochins, plymouth rocks, ect.)
-At what age should I let the mama and her chicks roam around freely with my other two hens (same age as mama)?
-Will the other hens (including mama) pick on the chicks after they become old enough to fend for themselves?
-I can only keep one chick. Will that affect anything?
-Is this easier than raising them yourself?
-Is it worth it?
I know that's a lot of questions. you don't have to answer all of them, just the ones you know. If I do decide to do this, I really don't want to screw it up (#crazychickenlady). Thanks for the help!