I've got a broody hen & we are thinking of getting her some fertilized eggs to sit on & hatch. Embrace nature, right? But when we added chicks to the flock last time, the girls were mean, mean, mean! It took months to integrate them just enough so they'd let the younger hens in the coop at night!
My question: will the flock treat new baby chicks that Fiona hatches any nicer? Will they be accepted like family, because she sits on them? Or will new babies still be new, and a threat?
Also, would it matter what breed eggs I get for her? And should I let her raise the new chicks outside, or bring them inside into a brooder? (We are in southern California and it's still hot as summer here.)
Thanks in advance for your wisdom & experience!
My question: will the flock treat new baby chicks that Fiona hatches any nicer? Will they be accepted like family, because she sits on them? Or will new babies still be new, and a threat?
Also, would it matter what breed eggs I get for her? And should I let her raise the new chicks outside, or bring them inside into a brooder? (We are in southern California and it's still hot as summer here.)
Thanks in advance for your wisdom & experience!