PLEASE ADVISE ASAP- Adding chicks to new broody mom with one baby

donrae said:

I wouldn't try it. At ten days after hatch, she's going to have "her babies" cemented in her mind, and any other chicks aren't seen as poor helpless orphans that need a momma, but as interlopers and competition for food and resources for her chick.

I think the best outcome you can expect is that she'll tolerate them in the same coop when her chick is several weeks old, and they can grow up together.

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chickenrun88 said:

If I let my hens have chicks how will the rooster react to them

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chickenrun88 said:

New guy lol. Hi I was wondering about chicks if I got some and put them with a hen will she trat them as her own

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chickenrun88 said:

If I let my hens have chicks how will the rooster react to them

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Sooner Magnolia said:

I have a young flower hen who hatched out one chick on Saturday ( 5 days ago). This is her first brood and they seem to be doing fine. I have a bunch set to hatch on Tuesday (5 days from now). I have 37 in the incubator, but don't plan on keeping all of them. She is currently penned in a very large dog kennel with the baby.

Questions:

Can I give her more babies 10 days later?

How many more could she handle?

Should I buy one at Atwoods tonight to make sure she will accept other babies and help the transition from one to multiple chicks?

I am heading home soon and need to decide ASAP

Thanks!

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Sooner Magnolia said:

Here's another possible option:

My olive egger seems pretty intent on staying in her nesting box. She will have only been sitting for 8 days or so when they are due, but she has been puffed up and more assertive with others (lower in the pecking order) longer than that. She is pretty docile. I am going to have my husband bring another dog kennel home and lock her in there with her golf balls tonight. If she adjusts well to the move, could I try to give her some babies (or even some eggs that are close to hatching)?

I could put both kennels close together and in view of the babies and see how both hens react or put a few under each and be there early in the morning to rescue them if needed.


I don't mind brooding chicks myself, but it seems like the transition to the flock is so much easier with a momma. Any advice on a good game plan would be great.

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mamatink7 said:

watch them all very closely. As others said, some are naturally broody, other breeds don't care at all.

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ChickenCanoe said:

Only if the hen has been broody. A non-broody won't accept them unless it's perhaps a silkie or cochin.

A broody hen will protect chicks from all comers. They are quite scary. I've had a lone young cockerel mother baby chicks before. The first day he didn't know how to react but he became quite protective. I guess he was lonely.

You can try to add a single to see how it goes. I'm not going to be a naysayer like most of the other posters. I think it depends on how the mothering hormones are raging at the time. I once gave a hen 42 chicks of various ages and she loved it.




That's a good option. Transition to the flock is much better with a hen. She'll protect them till the others accept them.

X2

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ChickenCanoe said:

I'd do it at night and check the coop every half hour or so with a flashlight to see if there are any chicks running around on their own. If not after a couple checks, they're probably fine.

I've added chicks that were 2 or 3 days old and they escaped the mom and chilled.

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