How to place baby chicks with a broody hen?

[Shelly0723]

All my hens were either bought, 4 black Australorp, or hatched from incubator, 3 Wyandotte mix (2 are broody and setting on eggs) and 1 White Orpington. This is the first time 2 of my hens went broody as we were hatching some in the incubator and I don't know what to do. They are low in the pecking order as well. Do I build them a separate enclosure so the other hens wont disturb them? What kind of feed should I provide? How do I put the 8 baby chicks, they hatched last night and today, under the broody hen?

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

I'm no broody expert, but i have successfully placed orphaned cccks with broody hens late at night when they are really hard asleep. If the brooding are low on the pecking order, i would definitely sequester them. Dominant hens have killed more than one of my babies! Low hens won't fight back hard enough, either, to protect the new babies.
So yes, box them off and put the babies in at night. That's the best advice and you already had it! Probably too late by now - sorry - I'm new to group and just reaching out.

 

[BDutch]

Some chicken keepers do put chicks under a broody hen. This is not always successful though. Some broodies start to peck the chicks very hard because they know it aren’t her chicks from the eggs she was sitting on. If the chicks are not accepted you need to separate them immediately before the chicks are pecked to dead.

Its better to change the eggs under the broodies with the eggs in the incubator before the hatch. Do this in the evening after dark or at nighttime.

Do the two broodies sit together in one nest?

How long did the broodies sit? How far are the eggs?

 

[Shelly0723]

Some chicken keepers do put chicks under a broody hen. This is not always successful though. Some broodies start to peck the chicks very hard because they know it aren’t her chicks from the eggs she was sitting on. If the chicks are not accepted you need to separate them immediately before the chicks are pecked to dead.

Its better to change the eggs under the broodies with the eggs in the incubator before the hatch. Do this in the evening after dark or at nighttime.

Do the two broodies sit together in one nest?

How long did the broodies sit? How far are the eggs?

They are right next to each other. One has been on top of her eggs for 5-7 days the other started 3 days ago. Regarding the eggs, they hatched yesterday night and today in the morning.

 

[Shelly0723]

We already placed the chicks under the hen that went broody first, then transferred her eggs to the other hen that only had 3 eggs to see if she will hatch them. She seems to have accepted them, we checked until late at night and they seem fine. One of the top 2 hens did come and sit next to the hen with the chicks for a long time and was just keeping her company, once it was time to go to sleep, she left to roost. I don't know if that is good thing or not, but I hope that the chicks survive.

 

[PopoMyers]

As for the food, I put chick starter in a feeder with my broody and the chicks, along with chick waterer. She will show them what to eat and drink. She would chase the other girls away. In your case, being separated from the higher ups will help protect the chicks.

 

[BDutch]

Congrats it worked with the incubator chicks and the first hen.

Two broodies next to each other, one with chicks and the other on eggs didnt work for my broodies. I had this twice and both time the broody who sat on the eggs started to peck the little chick(s) as soon as they walk around.

If you have more chicks in the incubator, I would change the eggs for chicks upcoming nigh and watch if thing go fine.

If you want to let the hen with the eggs sit until the eggs, I hope you marked them. Dispatch the 3 eggs she had first, because you will get a staggered hatch. If you let her breed till the first chicks hatch and need food, she will abandon the eggs that are ready to hatch in a few days.

I would make another mini-coop /nestbox with run ready for the mama with the chicks and move her away from the broody with eggs. The broody needs tranquility. The mama with the chicks a place to run around and sleep were she can protect her chicks or seperated from the others. Depending on the flock behaviour.

Sometimes a hen who didn’t breed accompanies the mama (I have a hen doing this now). And more often a broody gets company in hatching (mine do that every time I let a broody sit without seperation).

 

[Shelly0723]

Thank you all, we decided to use a brooder instead since the hen seems to have rejected 4 and killed one earlier today. The broody hen has now gone back to being her usual self and is ignoring the chicks.

 

[BDutch]

Thank you all, we decided to use a brooder instead since the hen seems to have rejected 4 and killed one earlier today. The broody hen has now gone back to being her usual self and is ignoring the chicks.

How sad. A brooder is indeed the best /safest if the broody rejects the chicks.