Reunite Incubator-hatched chicks & broody mama hen raising chick?

[Sh1nyH4ppy]

On Wednesday our broody Black Orpington hen (Spade) hatched a chick (Stormy), the first of ours to hatch naturally from her brooder mate rooster (Motley). All told, we have a barnyard mix of 21 including 3 roos.

Spade & Stormy abandoned the nesting box. We found a chick that didn't make it out of her shrinkwrapped shell. Other eggs felt warm so we gathered them to candle / incubate and cleaned out the nesting box, leaving chick feeder & waterer & grit bowl nearby in fresh straw.

Shade is happily guiding her first chick, nestling under warm feathers. Days are 80F, nights down to 40F. Other hens are curious, some snacking on chick feed, maybe to help teach. Nobody seems to be attacking.

On Sunday the incubator started peeping. Such a sweet sound! It's another newly hatched chick! I'm keeping her in the incubator with a tiny lid of water a few days to dry & fluff. Candling today, several other eggs are still veiny and promise to be viable.

I want to encourage their natural instincts, though our older chickens all came from feed stores and brooder bins.

Questions:
1. Will the hatchling's songs encourage the other eggs to hatch?
2. As soon as she's fluffy and walking, should I reunite her with mama Spade & hatchmate(s)?
3. Or should I keep all new chicks safe in the brooder for a few weeks and reintroduce?

Many thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing

 

[NatJ]

Questions:
1. Will the hatchling's songs encourage the other eggs to hatch?

Maybe, but I don't think it makes much difference.

2. As soon as she's fluffy and walking, should I reunite her with mama Spade & hatchmate(s)?

3. Or should I keep all new chicks safe in the brooder for a few weeks and reintroduce?

Spade the hen may be willing to accept new chicks, or she may not. Some hens do, some refuse, and you don't know until you try it.

If you want to try it, I would keep the new chicks in the brooder until they can walk well, so they don't get left behind when Spade walks around. Then try putting them underneath Spade at night, and see if she accepts them. If they snuggle underneath her all night, peeping to her and hearing her peep back, it helps them and her get acquainted, and hopefully things will go well the next way (but watch to be sure!)

If Spade will not accept them, then raising the new chicks in the brooder is the obvious thing to do.

I have had hens that would happily accept chicks, even when the new ones were more than a week younger, but I have also had hens that would not accept younger chicks. I have also had hens that refused chicks of a different color but accepted chicks that matched the first one, whether they were the same age or not.

 

[Sh1nyH4ppy]

Then try putting them underneath Spade at night, and see if she accepts them. If they snuggle underneath her all night, peeping to her and hearing her peep back, it helps them and her get acquainted, and hopefully things will go well the next way (but watch to be sure!)

Thanks NatJ, all great advice!

 

[Sh1nyH4ppy]

Hatchling is dry & fluffy so I reunited her with mama Spade & sister. Spade gave her a gentle peck or two to guide her and the bigger sister is showing her how to chow down.

We're watching closely. They're exploring the coop, and visitors have again been curious and gentle. Any blood and the brooder is ready.

 

[Sh1nyH4ppy]

Other hens also showing how to scratch. Roo seems protective from s few feet away. Two days, so far so good!

And we have 3 more eggs hatching in the brooder!

 

[BrownBugg]

I've never been unsuccessful in giving incubator chicks to a mama hen, I know things can go wrong but I've done it lots with lots of different hens. I find the hardest part isn't getting the mother to accept the chicks, but getting the chicks to understand that they're supposed to go with the mom. If the mom already has a chick or 2 it's easier because the new chicks run to the other chicks. At this point I basically just chuck the chicks at the mother and let her sort it out. That's probably bad advice though. I'm glad it worked out, I always feel so happy to see that my chicks will know a mother's love and get to be raised by a mother instead of by a heat lamp (nothing wrong with brooding, I'm sure I'm overthinking things )

 

[BrownBugg]

Hatchling is dry & fluffy so I reunited her with mama Spade & sister. Spade gave her a gentle peck or two to guide her and the bigger sister is showing her how to chow down.
We're watching closely. They're exploring the coop, and visitors have again been curious and gentle. Any blood and the brooder is ready. View attachment 3758084

Hatchling is dry & fluffy so I reunited her with mama Spade & sister. Spade gave her a gentle peck or two to guide her and the bigger sister is showing her how to chow down.

We're watching closely. They're exploring the coop, and visitors have again been curious and gentle. Any blood and the brooder is ready. View attachment 3758084

Look at those sweet little things!

 

[Jen2864]

I've never been unsuccessful in giving incubator chicks to a mama hen, I know things can go wrong but I've done it lots with lots of different hens. I find the hardest part isn't getting the mother to accept the chicks, but getting the chicks to understand that they're supposed to go with the mom. If the mom already has a chick or 2 it's easier because the new chicks run to the other chicks. At this point I basically just chuck the chicks at the mother and let her sort it out. That's probably bad advice though. I'm glad it worked out, I always feel so happy to see that my chicks will know a mother's love and get to be raised by a mother instead of by a heat lamp (nothing wrong with brooding, I'm sure I'm overthinking things )

Hi..again..I'm new at this..trying the incubator..but that being said..after reading your post..I hv my 2 hens..Pearl & Olga survivors of fox attack]..so you hv me wondering now..if I'm successful at hatching chicks..I can try with a very watchful eye to see if mamas can raise?

My girls are VERY SWEET..they will come inside if given oppty..I can hold..pet..so overall docile.
IF I try..other question is would it be too cold? We are in CT Temps in 3 weeks can be down to 30 at nite...anywhere from 50 to 70 during day...so just that alone I may have to raise indoors...like I did with Pearl & Olga.

 

[NatJ]

Hi..again..I'm new at this..trying the incubator..but that being said..after reading your post..I hv my 2 hens..Pearl & Olga survivors of fox attack]..so you hv me wondering now..if I'm successful at hatching chicks..I can try with a very watchful eye to see if mamas can raise?

My girls are VERY SWEET..they will come inside if given oppty..I can hold..pet..so overall docile.
IF I try..other question is would it be too cold? We are in CT Temps in 3 weeks can be down to 30 at nite...anywhere from 50 to 70 during day...so just that alone I may have to raise indoors...like I did with Pearl & Olga.

If a hen does not broody, she will usually NOT raise chicks.

But you may be able to brood the chicks in the coop, where the hens can see them from the very beginning, and let them mix from an early age. Here is an article by one person who does that successfully:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/

As regards temperature, down to 30 at night would be fine for chicks with a broody hen (because under the hen is toasty warm). For chicks that you are brooding, you have to provide enough heat to keep them warm in whatever temperature there is. An easy way to do that is with a very big brooder (4+ feet long). You can make sure one end stays cozy warm (for example, with a heat lamp.) The other end can be cool. The chicks move themselves back and forth depending on which temperature they want. During a 30 degree night the chicks may sleep directly under the heat lamp, but during a 70 degree afternoon the chicks may move to the far end of the brooder because the end with the heat lamp is too hot. As long as they have enough cool space to move into, it won't hurt them to have one end "too hot" (a fire would be dangerous, but just being warmer than recommended brooder temperatures is not an issue when they are free to move away.)