Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[Beekissed]

A wonderful system there and so nice to not have to worry about brooding chicks. You'll have chicks and mamas running everywhere and it will be a chickapalooza!

What a wonderful sight to see! And that's the way to start out a chicken, IMO.

 

[NanaKat]

Yes, it is beginning to rain chicks...

 

[NanaKat]

Moved 30 one day to 3 day old chicks under 2 Wyandotte hens whose eggs hatched last night. Each hen started with 10 eggs but each had 4 chicks hatch. Now each has 19 babies to raise.
It is raining here for the next several days so bonding time in a nice dry pen with their hen will be a stress free event for the chicks.

A few days ago, I moved 20 three week old chicks out of the brooder onto the floor in the brooder room with feed and water. I placed two foster hens in there with them. The Cochin X Wyandotte hen settled in with the chicks while the Australorp paced the room. So I let her out the door. After two days of me tossing nice chunks of pulled grass with the dirt attached and some tasty grubs the chicks are responding to their foster mom. The chicks snuggle with her at night. So now after the rain, I'll let her take those chicks outside.

I love good chick loving hens!

 

[Talithahorse]

Moved 30 one day to 3 day old chicks under 2 Wyandotte hens whose eggs hatched last night. Each hen started with 10 eggs but each had 4 chicks hatch. Now each has 19 babies to raise.
It is raining here for the next several days so bonding time in a nice dry pen with their hen will be a stress free event for the chicks.

A few days ago, I moved 20 three week old chicks out of the brooder onto the floor in the brooder room with feed and water. I placed two foster hens in there with them. The Cochin X Wyandotte hen settled in with the chicks while the Australorp paced the room. So I let her out the door. After two days of me tossing nice chunks of pulled grass with the dirt attached and some tasty grubs the chicks are responding to their foster mom. The chicks snuggle with her at night. So now after the rain, I'll let her take those chicks outside.

I love good chick loving hens!

So are you saying that you put in a hen with some chicks and she adopted them? IF so, how did you know she would be okay with them? I ask because I have a little nankin who I think will be a great mom but she has not gone broody. I have some chicks that could use a momma hen.

 

[Beekissed]

She would have to be truly broody before she accepted chicks. I've fostered chicks under broodies many times with good success, just have to have a true broody bird and do it under cover of darkness. I keep the nest covered until I can get up there in the morning and supervise the interaction when I take the cover off. I've never had a broody refuse chicks yet.

 

[Talithahorse]

Thanks, that is what I thought but wanted to make sure there wasn't another way.

 

[NanaKat]

Quote:

She would have to be truly broody before she accepted chicks. I've fostered chicks under broodies many times with good success, just have to have a true broody bird and do it under cover of darkness. I keep the nest covered until I can get up there in the morning and supervise the interaction when I take the cover off. I've never had a broody refuse chicks yet.

Thanks, that is what I thought but wanted to make sure there wasn't another way.

Sorry I'm late getting back to your question... Actually theCochin x Wyandotte hen that adopted the chicks has not been broody so far this spring. She is 5 years old and is an experienced mother who has raised several clutches of chicks. She has shown attention to chicks of all ages and often volunteers her assistance when a first time mother is raising babies.
The other hen, The Australorp has also been interested in fostering chicks when a young hen gives up her job when chicks are about three weeks old. She was broody in late winter, but I did not give her eggs to hatch.
I took a chance with these hens because the 3 week olds needed to come out of the brooder and the broody hens were not near enough to hatch.
Knowing the mothering instincts of your hens, watching their activities around chicks, and often a lucky chance becomes a good outcome. I have Wyandotte, Cochin, Australorp, Buckeye Breeds along with Sex link layers. There is a big difference in the hens as to their desire to mother or go broody.

As Beekissed points out...A broody hen sitting on eggs is more likely to accept chicks...but not always at 3 weeks of age.

I carefully watch a hen when I give her already hatched chicks to foster along with her own hatched clutch. Not all hens will accept the foster babies. A lot depends on the mothering ability/characteristics of the breed and the nature of your hens.

Had the CxW hen not shown an interest in the chicks, I would have closed them in on the floor in the brooder room with wood shavings on the floor, a dusting pan, feed and water and a couple of older chicks (5 - 6 week olds) that had been free ranging. Then offering the grass and bugs to the blended age group, the older chicks would teach by example. Chicks are pretty resilient and quickly learn new skills from juveniles with more experience.

When I go out to the barn and pens during the day to check on the flock, 5 - 6 week olds that have been free-ranging with their mothers come running from all directions along with the adults to see if the Mistress has any scraps to toss around....that is a learned behavior.

 

[Beekissed]

Great post!!!

The oldest chicks I've ever seen adopted were 3 mo. old. Yep...3 mo. They had never had a mama, nor did they want one but this old broody hen of mine didn't have a successful brood and I finally had to run her off the eggs. She was inconsolable until she noticed these juveniles ranging in a separate group and tried to mother them. She ran after them so often and tried to tempt them with food so many times they finally let her start "mothering" them.....it was both sad and comical to see. After brooding so long she was in poor condition and she was 5 yrs old, with a bad heart, so chasing them had her looking like she was on death's door....but when they finally gave in she started looking better and finally flourished....and went on to start my current line with two of her eggs at the ripe age of 6.

What a bird!

Here she is feeding one of her adopted "babies" at 5 mo old.....



After she had finally chased them down and made them have a mama....

 

[finnfur]

Great post!!!

The oldest chicks I've ever seen adopted were 3 mo. old. Yep...3 mo. They had never had a mama, nor did they want one but this old broody hen of mine didn't have a successful brood and I finally had to run her off the eggs. She was inconsolable until she noticed these juveniles ranging in a separate group and tried to mother them. She ran after them so often and tried to tempt them with food so many times they finally let her start "mothering" them.....it was both sad and comical to see. After brooding so long she was in poor condition and she was 5 yrs old, with a bad heart, so chasing them had her looking like she was on death's door....but when they finally gave in she started looking better and finally flourished....and went on to start my current line with two of her eggs at the ripe age of 6.

What a bird!

Here she is feeding one of her adopted "babies" at 5 mo old.....



After she had finally chased them down and made them have a mama....

Top picture, bird on left looks like a Kathyinmo Del

 

[Beekissed]

Great eye!!!! That's exactly what that bird is! Beautiful birds she turns out, aren't they? I haven't heard anything about Kathy for awhile and hope she is doing well...she's a true sweetheart and generous to a fault.