broody hen and new chick

[candycar]

Hey All! I have a one year old EE hen that keeps going broody on me. She just started again after about a 3 week period of egg laying. She is an "only hen" and is supposed to be my pet.

I had incubated some eggs from our barn chickens for a friend and only one hatched, two days ago.
My question is- Can I put the new chick with the broody hen and will she take care of it, or kill it? I feel sorry for the little chick as it is all alone. Do they do ok alone, with lots of love, or does it "warp" them? How old should it be before I introduce it to the EE hen?
I will keep it if it's a hen as I want a pet more than a brooder.
How many times a year do hens go broody anyway?
Thanks for your help!

 

[canada-goose]

Well I don't know if she would accept the chick but normally they only go broody once a year! Your hen sounds a bit crazy! Sorry I can't help more.

 

[austinhart123]

they dont normally go broody once a year, every hen is different, i have one that goes broody evey few weeks and one that only lays once a year, she lays around ten eggs, then sits on them

i would try to give her the chick and see how it goes

 

[Mrs.Puff]

Try to give her the chick, but most likely it's a bit too late. If you gave her the chick immediately after hatch would have been better. The chick is already imprinted on you, and thinks you are mama.

EEs go broody a lot. I have banty EEs and they are broody constantly. Two or three times a summer sometimes. I have one mixed breed gal who was broody three times last summer, and twice already this summer.

 

[lauralou]

My broody hens are broody a lot! As soon as they wean a group of chicks, they are ready to start sitting on eggs again. If I don't want chicks, they go to broody jail, start laying again after a week or so, lay for maybe a month if I'm lucky, then go broody again. Each individual hen has her own cycle, and it's pretty reliable.

I think I would try to give her the chick. Just watch and make sure she does accept it, and doesn't start pecking it or flinging it around or any other bad thing. It seems to me that it is better to have more than one chicken. In the brooder or in the henhouse. They are flock animals, and want to live in the company of their own kind.

Good luck!

 

[busylizzie]

give it a go but stay close by and watch for a good while.

good luck