Adding new babies under mama hen

[roamingchick]

Question, I have a mama hen with four babies, she is crazy don't ever like anyone looking at her babies not even looking her way. Today I put 6 more in coop with her a few days younger then hers that she hatched. She seems to have accepted them,I worry that she may turn on the new ones that I added. My question would be, is it safe to let her keep them or am I just putting them in danger?

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

The only good time to give a hen chicks that aren't hers is at night, when you can quietly add them without her noticing. How long has she had them?

 

[roamingchick]

She has had them a couple hours now, everyone was going to bed, mamma hen w chicks are in smaller sperate coop then rest of flock. I just don't want her to hurt them, they went under her and she didn't seem to pay no mind to them.

 

[roamingchick]

If she was going to attack them would she have done it by now?

 

[Kev]

Generally not a good idea to add chicks after a few days. Many/most hens 'know' their babies and if she knows her babies and is protective of her babies, she will be hostile to anything she is not familiar with.

Some hens are very accepting though..

The chances are sort of better if new chicks are of same color as the original chicks. Hens are more likely to reject a white chick if she had black chicks for the first few days..

 

[Kev]

If she was going to attack them would she have done it by now?

keep watching, only way to be sure.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

They will probably be fine by now, but I wouldn't do that again in the future. Hope everything goes well for you!

 

[roamingchick]

I don't normally, I did this as a last resort, my heat bulb blew, the heat source I had on hand was not keeping them warm enough and the store was closed. Initially I tried other things but I gave up, this hen has stolen babies from other hens before so i thought its worth a try if it saved my chicks and both mamma and babies are doing well, all doing their thing, mamma protecting the smallest who was stressed and I thought for sure would not make it before putting them in with her. The risk was never racking but not thought through and never the first option.

They will probably be fine by now, but I wouldn't do that again in the future. Hope everything goes well for you!