Need advice about giving broody hen a chick

[animalover]

Two of my favorite hens had gotten broody, and I happened to mention to my vet that it was a shame they would never hatch anything, because I have no rooster. She gave me 4 fertile eggs, and I put 2 under each, and pretty much forgot about it. Yesterday, one of the eggs hatched! I checked the other eggs, and they were not viable. I know someone with week old peeps. If I put one under the broody hen, will she accept it? Can I give the one with the newly hatched chick a week old chick? This is all new to me.

 

[Judy]

Probably, and maybe. If they were mine I'd let her raise the lone chick in with the flock. It won't really be alone that way, and will be able to fend for itself when mama quits being a mama in a month or two. You can put new chicks under a broody, but when I tried it when one was several days older, the young one was killed.

 

[EweSheep]

I had three successful clutches adopted by this broody hen. This year, for some reason, she rejected ALL of them. I don't understand why but I am sure she had her own reasons.

Maybe this year is not her year to raise chicks. She was an excellent momma. Now I am stuck with ten chicks down the basement I didn't want to do but they are for sale, locally of course.

 

[GoodKids]

I had a momma hatch out a lone chick, and I had a lone week-old guinea in the brooder in the house. When the chick was a couple days old, I slipped the keet under the hen when it was still dark in the brooder. She takes them both on walks and snuggles them and shows them food.

That was the first I ever tried that, tho, so I don't really have any experience to speak of