Broody hen + day old chicks??

[srsmith69]

Has anyone had any luck ordering day old chicks and placing them under a broody hen? Seems like my dad use to do this, but don't know if there's a trick to get the hen to accept that her eggs just all of a sudden hatched.

Problem is, I live in town and don't have a rooster. Hen's still get broody. Would like to raise some chicks, but don't want to worry about them in a brooder. Can I fool mother nature and mother hen and get the hen to be my brooder?

 

[juliecox]

It depends on the hen, really. I've heard of some hens that are wise to their people, and it doesn't work with them, THEY KNOW. Then there are hens so broody they will raise anything. For instance, when I added a six-month-old Silkie pullet to my flock, my Australorp was absurdly delighted with her new "chick"! Went around protecting her, showing her how to scratch, cuddling her ... and the Silkie thought it was great too! She had a mama again! Funny birds.

So! The moral of the story is that very broody birds are usually easier to fool than the less maternal breeds. I've heard that adding the chicks at night betters your odds too, since the hens wake up to find the chicks there, instead of warily watching you add them to the nest.

 

[juliecox]

Oh and btw - it's cheaper and even easier to order fertile eggs for a broody hen right after she goes broody, and let her hatch "her" eggs! I've done that twice with the Australorp, with great results.

 

[srsmith69]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

I have done it and had good results but then again had a bad experience too. You never know until you try but the best thing to do is get some fertile eggs under her and let her hatch them.