Broody hen adopting chicks advice?

Chicka_deee

Crowing
5 Years
Mar 4, 2019
755
2,463
311
Northern California
Hello!
I have a 2 year old silver-laced wyandotte who I'm pretty sure is broody. She raised chicks last year and was successful (besides the fact that she would stick with them past week 6 and never got tired of them which confuses me a bit. I'm wondering how she will be this year)
I am pretty sure she is broody because she has stayed in the nesting boxes for about 2 days now, night and day and there are some plucked feathers from her in the box.
My question is, I have 4 Marans chicks that just hatched less than 10 hours ago (they are still in the incubator drying off and I will put them in the brooder tomorrow) and coincidently our silver laced wyandotte has now gone broody, so I am wondering if it is a good idea to give her these chicks so she can raise them?
My only worries are how she reacts because she has only been broody for 2ish days and if it is too early in her broodiness to have chicks and not wait the full 3 weeks?
Should I maybe wait a day or two to see how things are or will the chicks be too old?
If this is a good idea to actually give her the chicks do you have any advice on a hen adopting chicks?
Thank you in advance!
 
Anything past a few days is too old. A day maybe 2 is fine. She might take them or she might not. Same could be said if she was 3 weeks into being broody. Some hens don't take into being tricked.
 
Personally I would wait until the chicks are no longer baby brained (flopping and not acting like a regular chick you see running around) before trying so that if they need to they can alarm and try to run.

I gave my Cochin bantam shipped chicks that were 3 or 4 days old and she took them great, but they were about the same age as her own chicks
 
Hello!
I have a 2 year old silver-laced wyandotte who I'm pretty sure is broody. She raised chicks last year and was successful (besides the fact that she would stick with them past week 6 and never got tired of them which confuses me a bit. I'm wondering how she will be this year)
I am pretty sure she is broody because she has stayed in the nesting boxes for about 2 days now, night and day and there are some plucked feathers from her in the box.
My question is, I have 4 Marans chicks that just hatched less than 10 hours ago (they are still in the incubator drying off and I will put them in the brooder tomorrow) and coincidently our silver laced wyandotte has now gone broody, so I am wondering if it is a good idea to give her these chicks so she can raise them?
My only worries are how she reacts because she has only been broody for 2ish days and if it is too early in her broodiness to have chicks and not wait the full 3 weeks?
Should I maybe wait a day or two to see how things are or will the chicks be too old?
If this is a good idea to actually give her the chicks do you have any advice on a hen adopting chicks?
Thank you in advance!
Update?
 
Personally I would wait until the chicks are no longer baby brained (flopping and not acting like a regular chick you see running around) before trying so that if they need to they can alarm and try to run.

I gave my Cochin bantam shipped chicks that were 3 or 4 days old and she took them great, but they were about the same age as her own chicks
Thank you! I will probably put them in when I see they have enough strength just in case she doesn't accept them (maybe tomorrow night)
Does it matter that she really has only been broody for 2ish days now and getting chicks this quick into her broodiness?
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom