5 week old chicks adopted by non broody hen

[LadyArrietty]

How long had she been sitting on the eggs? I think it works best when they are close to the 21 days.

I have also added chicks in the evening.

I think it was about 19 days when her eggs were snatched, then about 3 before I could get the day-old's... it's all fuzzy, it was a whirlwind of a week.

Unfortunately she didn't accept them last night either. I gave her just one after dark and she would peck every time the chick moved. I stayed for a bit to see if she would settle, but even in the dark she managed to shift and peck until she got the chick kicked out and could peck at it directly

I've got the chicks safely situated under a brooder plate, and my next task is to make a broody-breaker jail for the hen. I'm sad that she won't be a surrogate

Thank you everyone for the advice! (And sorry for kinda' taking over the thread. Here's to more chicken miracles! )

 

[FrostRanger]

Hi all. Haven't been on the forum for years. Been raising chickens for over 13 years and am experiencing something I never thought possible and very interesting, worth a share. We have three 5-week-old (broody hen hatched) chicks who lost their mom to a fox two days ago. They have been integrated with the flock from day one and are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. A hen that has not even been broody has now decided to adopt them, clucking to them for food and even covered them on the roost last night. Anyone ever experienced anything like this before. I feel like we have chicken miracle happening

Aw! She's such a treasure! Does she happen to be the head hen and is there a rooster in the flock? Head hens can take on some of the duties of a rooster if there isn't one in the flock sometimes and a good rooster will watch over the flock's chicks. Either way, that's still incredibly rare behavior from a nonbroody. She's amazing!

 

[ChicNmom]

I think it was about 19 days when her eggs were snatched, then about 3 before I could get the day-old's... it's all fuzzy, it was a whirlwind of a week.

Unfortunately she didn't accept them last night either. I gave her just one after dark and she would peck every time the chick moved. I stayed for a bit to see if she would settle, but even in the dark she managed to shift and peck until she got the chick kicked out and could peck at it directly

I've got the chicks safely situated under a brooder plate, and my next task is to make a broody-breaker jail for the hen. I'm sad that she won't be a surrogate

Thank you everyone for the advice! (And sorry for kinda' taking over the thread. Here's to more chicken miracles! )

Has this hen ever hatched chicks? If not it could be she's just not good mom material.

I have one that's broody all summer. The first chicks she had she was done with them within 2-3 weeks and didn't want them near her. The 2nd time I got day old chicks for her. Initially she was thrilled! Purring and making all kinds of happy noises. They would climb on her and hide in her feathers. So sweet! Then I went out one morning and she was done with then and one had died.
So she's just a lousy mom. Maybe she's just a lazy hen and likes to sit around all summer and be cranky.

I've gotten to where I like raising the chicks because they bond to me and are easier to handle and deal with as adults.

 

[WoDia]

@LadyArrietty. It sounds like your timing was pretty close, but losing her eggs also changed her behavior. If it was one of my girls, I’d go ahead and break the broodiness. But, you could make one more attempt at having her interact with all of the chicks. A different situation may produce a more positive result. Let her interact on her terms… try this during the day (since she didn’t accept even one of them the first time) where she can fully see them somewhere close to her, and allow her to approach them. Observe whether her mothering instinct kicks in. She lost out on the experience of feeling her own chicks hatching underneath her, so she may have been a bit confused and scared to suddenly feel tiny fluff balls wiggling around. It may not work at all, but it could be worth a try. If it does work, continue close monitoring until you’re confident she’s completely accepted them. Chick safety is the top priority. If she shows more aggression, then break her broodiness and brood the chicks yourself. I hope that anything I’ve suggested serves to help your situation. I’ll also note that it might have a better chance of success if this is done without any outside distractions (like when there are no other chickens around). And, if she’s with the flock and does accept them, focus on chick safety since other flock members could hurt the chicks if they’re not accepting of them being there.