Giving broody hen chicks - questions

[mcclucker]

I have 17 chicks coming in 10 days - I have a brooder all ready for them. I am raising half of them for a neighbor for the first month.

The last week I have a broody - and while I hadn't wanted to have her raise all the chicks (I'd prefer to give them lots of handling to be socialized around kids) now I'm wondering if I could give her 3-4 of them (ones I'm keeping) to raise.

If I do this, will there be difficulties integrating the others into the flock at 4 weeks (as I had planned via a pullet pen in coop method?)

My broody is my top hen - a GLW- and she is in her first year (she's 9 months old) so I wasn't expecting her to go broody but she won't let me take any eggs from under her so I'm going to have to do something!!

 

[lightchick]

I'd give it a try! It might actually make integration easier.

 

[STxBCG]

I tried giving chicks to a broody, she tried to kill them. She wanted to sit on eggs at that point, wasn't ready for chicks. She hatched her clutch Wednesday​ and I have a few chicks coming out of the incubator this morning. I'm going to try slipping them into her clutch but, I'm fully prepared to put them in the brooder if she's not accomdating.

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[mcclucker]

Interesting. I made a broody pen for her (chicks will use if it doesn't work out) and she is really mad. I put the same eggs she was setting in a nesting box in the pen (plus the same fabric scraps she had in the first nesting box) and she's just squawking and pacing around.

I'll give it a try but I'll definitely stay close when I put them in.

 

[mcclucker]

I'm hoping that in 10 days (when my chicks come) she will be tired of setting eggs and maybe ready for chicks. She's already spent 4-5 days in there.