Broody chicken= New Mom

[Friendthechicken]

Thanks everyone! We tried briefly tonight and bailed, haha. She took to it at first and the littles got cozy quickly - I couldn’t even see them under there - but then we took the eggs away and mom seemed bewildered. We might try again tomorrow, but we have the brooder set up in the house anyway so will probably stick with our original plan. So tempting to have mom take care of the chicks - especially weeks 4-10!

 

[BDutch]

Following this experiment!! I think we are gonna try the same thing. I am confused about food once “the family” separates. How did it go??

Better buy hatchery eggs. More natural. Less risky.

 

[BDutch]

Depend on your temperatures.

If they’ve been under a heat lamp they will have more trouble seeing her as the heater. They will go out for food and water and not come back when she calls them. They can get chilled and die pretty easily. You’ll need to be checking on them constantly until you are sure the chicks and mom know what’s what.

I have not had good luck bonding feed store chicks with a mama hen.

I think the broody is a more important factor in the acceptance :
The broody often knows these are not her chicks and will reject them/peck them/or even kill them.
(no experience, this is from reading info from others)

 

[BDutch]

so I took chick food mixed with water, heat lamp and water...

Don’t use a heat lamp for chicks with a broody unless it’s bitterly cold. Overheating can be a problem if it gets too warm for the broody. If its freezing you can put a lamp up high, to get the temps up above freezing.

Hope she is big enough to keep all 14 chicks warm.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

so I did exactly what the one person suggested. I let the two hens lay on eggs throughout the day. I had gotten the chicks that day so I took chick food mixed with water, heat lamp and water... they were in the area all day. When you get the chicks you dip their little beaks into the water and food and they learn how to eat and drink. So in the evening, 2 hours after I closed up the coop ( I have 95 chickens) and everyone was snoring. I went into the nesting room, removed the eggs from under the one hen. Put 7 of chicks under her . Did the same with the second Hen. closed everything up and left. In the AM I went in, opened up the nesting boxes and both hens were there. so I took the one hen out and put her in a secured area that I had created for her and her babies. this area had food for her, food for the babies and water, heat lamp, nesting pad, etc. All went well with the 7 chicks and mom. Went back for the second hen and she immediately started pecking at the babies and distanced herself from them when i put them all in the same environment that I had created for the first hen. So... within 10 second she was not gonna be a mom. I took those babies and put them under the other hen. She accepted all of the babies and she is happy as a lark. I will take a pic in the AM and upload for you to see. Meanwhile the other broody hen is back in the nesting box sitting on nothing. Her babies have totally bonded with the other mom.

I had this same experience with shipped chicks and 3 broody hens, my hen Large Marge became mom to all 18 chicks. Since her brood was so big, I put a heat plate in her area too and when they got big enough to jump up there, the chicks would sit on the heat plate sometimes rather than try to smoosh under mom. They always did sleep cuddled up to her at night, no matter how big they were.

Good luck with your other broody. if you haven’t decided what to do already you may be able to find partially incubated eggs locally so she can have chicks but not feel that they aren’t “hers”.

 

[gwright6]

My little Mom is so into it. ..... She was born to be a MOM.

 

[MelissaPeterss]

Check on things early in the morning, and if chicks and hens have bonded then move them to the 'safe haven'. First time mothers for sure will need time to bond to the chicks.

 

[Nona Urbiz]

Hen seemed fine with them, allowed the chicks to come near, pecked, but not hard. Didn't hurt them. She allowed some (1-2) to get under her, but later just wanted to get away from them.

 

[BDutch]

Hen seemed fine with them, allowed the chicks to come near, pecked, but not hard. Didn't hurt them. She allowed some (1-2) to get under her, but later just wanted to get away from them.

So she doesn’t accept the chicks. Do you have the chicks in a brooder with heath and everything else they need now?

 

[gwright6]

That's good that at least one mom accepted the chicks, I've read it can go either way
And maybe mama 2 needed to sit longer to make her think she actually hatched them? Chickens do chicken best lol

Here mid March I'll have eggs hatching under our Mama for the second time yay baby chicks! (I even have some inside haha)