Broody hen and day old chick fail

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

My hen had been broody for 13 days, and I had just received 1 day old baby chicks, so I decided to give them to her. I waited until 10:30 last night, and in the cover of darkness, I brought the chicks to her. As soon as I placed the first chick near her, she grew agitated and began angrily attacking it. I brought all the chicks back inside into my brooder. So now I have a broody hen, on day 14, with no hope of raising babies. I feel horrible for her. She has plucked all her chest feathers and now I have to try to break her of her broodiness and I feel so at fault for attempting this. Do you think it was just too soon, being broody for only 13 days?

I also need advice on breaking her broodiness. Since I'm home all the time, can I just keep an eye on her and pull her off the nest if she tries to sit? I don't want to cage her in a dog crate if I don't have to.

 

[TK421]

I’m so sorry this happened. Do you think you could try again tomorrow night?

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

I’m so sorry this happened. Do you think you could try again tomorrow night?

I'm honestly afraid to try again, she was pretty vicious. But also, one of my chicks has a leg injury, I'm not sure if she'll survive, so I have to brood her inside anyway. So I think I'll just let the 2 healthy chicks keep her company and I'll have to encourage my broody to forget about her dream of having babies.

 

[Severne]

Just let her hatch the eggs she had.

 

[Boccom]

Just let her hatch the eggs she had.

Exactly

 

[centrarchid]

Introduction done too early. Day 18 into incubation cycle is the earliest I attempt introducing chicks to a broody hen. Day 19 to 21 plus is better as hen is open to imprinting on chicks at that time. There are windows when hens and chicks can bond on each other.

 

[Boccom]

when you do intorduce the chicks make sure their under her and shes sleeping if they arent under her they wont smell like her and she will kill them

 

[centrarchid]

My hen had been broody for 13 days, and I had just received 1 day old baby chicks, so I decided to give them to her. I waited until 10:30 last night, and in the cover of darkness, I brought the chicks to her. As soon as I placed the first chick near her, she grew agitated and began angrily attacking it. I brought all the chicks back inside into my brooder. So now I have a broody hen, on day 14, with no hope of raising babies. I feel horrible for her. She has plucked all her chest feathers and now I have to try to break her of her broodiness and I feel so at fault for attempting this. Do you think it was just too soon, being broody for only 13 days?

I also need advice on breaking her broodiness. Since I'm home all the time, can I just keep an eye on her and pull her off the nest if she tries to sit? I don't want to cage her in a dog crate if I don't have to.

You can salvage this by keeping chicks near for the next several days. She and chicks can hear each other until she opens up to imprinting on the chicks. When she does you will see a marked change in how the hen and chicks orient towards each other. When hen clucks at chicks and they "gravitate" towards her, then introduce them to her at night to seal bond.

 

[centrarchid]

when you do intorduce the chicks make sure their under her and shes sleeping if they arent under her they wont smell like her and she will kill them

I do not think the hen uses smell to identify chicks. As far as I can tell, they do not use vision either except after decision is made to peck. They use sound. If you place a couple strange chicks under a hen where the chicks look like hers, she has little trouble figuring out who the strangers are even if they are under her.

 

[Boccom]

well whenever my chicks dont get under a hen when introducing they get pecked to death but the ones that are under her dont