Adding other chicks with Broody Hen

[FlockO5ive]

I have a hen who is hatching 2 eggs as i type this. She started with 6 but not all made it, so I got one of my favorite breeds at the feed store today (Australorp) and tried to put her with the hen. Maybe this was a rookie mistake but the hen wanted to kill the chick. Will I have better luck trying to add her after the eggs have hatched? Has anyone successfully added chicks to a hatch? I'm worried she will attack her own chicks as well. Oh and she's pecking at the chick hatching Normal behavior?

 

[chickluvinfreak]

I'm not an expert on the subject but from what I've read you should add the chicks to the nest at night. So when she wakes up she will think the eggs hatched while she was asleep and accept them as her own. It would probably be better to wait after the eggs hatch but should be fine either way. I'm not sure if pecking at a hatching egg is normal. She could be trying to help or hurt it, I don't know. Either way I would keep a close eye on her so you can intervene if she becomes aggressive.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

What color are her chicks? That can be a factor in her accepting it (it should be close in color to her other chicks). You can slip it in at night, as suggested, or I've also take all the chicks away for a minute and brought back the newbie with the original chicks, all mixed up.