adding to brood

[Proud gramma]

Will a hen with 3 week old hatchlings accept and care for 1 day hatchlings if given to her?

 

[nchls school]

Will a hen with 3 week old hatchlings accept and care for 1 day hatchlings if given to her?

This is not a safe thing to do. Observing my hens has led me to believe that hens do not recognize new chicks as theirs. On many occasions I have moved newly hatched or day old chicks to different hens who were at the same point in motherhood and the chicks were instantly accepted. In time these hens learned to recognize their chicks and then strange chicks the same age were driven away. In this case the hen would know that the hatchings were not hers and not accept them. I am sure there are exceptions to this, but I have not seen any.

 

[Proud gramma]

That is what I figured. Thanks though.