Broody hen won't take chicks - please help!!

[typeonederful]

The chicks are now in a bin with shavings, food, and water. We placed this bin in a shower with an old space heater. Hoping they will make it through the night.

 

[typeonederful]

Would it be safe to try again with the same hen and different chicks a few weeks from now? Or has this experience shown that she isn’t a good mother/doesn’t have interest in raising chicks?

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Would it be safe to try again with the same hen and different chicks a few weeks from now? Or has this experience shown that she isn’t a good mother/doesn’t have interest in raising chicks?

Can you get fertilized eggs? That would be your best bet if your not going to break her broodiness. You may run the risk of her not accepting the next batch and needing to brood them.

ETA: She may be a wonderful mother, or have no staying power, or be a horrible parent, but you can't really know for sure unless you've seen her with chicks she's hatched. Some hens refuses any chick that's not theirs but are the most attentive mothers to the ones they hatch, some mother any chick they see, some get bored early and push the chicks away too soon. Some don't get it right until they're older. A lot like people, really. They come in all sorts.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Would it be safe to try again with the same hen and different chicks a few weeks from now? Or has this experience shown that she isn’t a good mother/doesn’t have interest in raising chicks?

Hard to say as she hasn't proven herself as a mother yet.

IF you plan on trying again, you need to wait until she's closer to hatching time (21 days), and use younger chicks. Or put fertile eggs under her and let her hatch those. You should still have a brooder set up ready to go in case she does not accept the babies in any case.

 

[CrazyCochin]

Here are the chicks. They both seemed very small for their age and we thought it might work. View attachment 2701318

If it were our hens, they would take them!
Try sneaking them under her while covering her head!

We have had a Wyandotte that raised I believe it was 4 ducklings, a khaki, a Pekin, and some runners! Multiple of our hens have been great foster mothers!

 

[CrazyCochin]

If it were our hens, they would take them!
Try sneaking them under her while covering her head!

We have had a Wyandotte that raised I believe it was 4 ducklings, a khaki, a Pekin, and some runners! Multiple of our hens have been great foster mothers!

Keep sticking them under her as well!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

My silkie hen accepted day old adoptees for the first few hours when I added them to her hatching chicks, in the dark in the middle of the night. They were fine by breakfast, half an hour later she killed one and drove the others away and kept her own. And shes an amazing mother. My cochin will accept any chick and co mothers chicks that others have hatched. Until you get to know her, it's not a sure thing.

 

[typeonederful]

Different problem now - the chicks won’t go to sleep. They have food and water and aren’t huddled or trying to get out of the box, so I don’t think temperature is the problem. One will start to fall asleep, and then one will cheep and wake the other up. This is happening about every 30 seconds and I can’t tell if both of the chicks are cheeping or only one.

 

[micstrachan]

I made this mistake same last year. The year before, I had a broody do amazingly well raising chicks, so gave it a try with another broody the following year. She was pecking and growling at them, so I raised them myself. The same hen is broody right now. She’s on 2.5 weeks, but no way is she getting chicks. Pretty soon I’ll have to break her broody behavior, as she’s getting pretty thin. I didn’t break her sooner because she’s been company fir a sick hen who’s also sleeping in a nest box.

Anyway, sounds to me like you are raising chicks. But hand raised chicks make wonderful pet chickens!

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Constant peeping is usually a temperature issue. Have you looked into the mama heating pad method yet? Do you have a thermometer?If its just a peep or two you should be okay turn off the light and leave them.