Can I put day old chicks under a new mother who already has chicks?

[camchickenman]

It will depend upon the temperament of the hen.  Your hen is firmly bonded to her chicks and may very well not accept any 'strangers' especially if they are a different color.  Some breeds like silkies or Cochins can be more accepting of new chicks.

 

[Coop de Grass]

@camchickenman , It is odd, because she hatched 4 Buff Orpington chicks on Feb 17. I purchased some Ameracauna chicks that were hatched the same day. The first chicks I added were Wheaten and almost identical to the BO chicks. Since she was ok with them, I hoped it would work. It seemed to since they woke up at 5:45 and everything was quiet until 10:15 when eveything went berserk. She did accept the additional Ameracauna, but I am keeping a watchful eye on the coop camera.

I will have to investigate Silkies and Cochins. I just started last June, with a mixed flock of Australorp, BO, Brahma, Silver Lace Wyandotte, and Bielefelder. Lost 2 chicks to hawks. The Buff Orpington is the only one that went broody so I indulged her.

I am so grateful to the advice I get here. What a fantastic community to belong to. Thank you so very much.

 

[nchls school]

@camchickenman , It is odd, because she hatched 4 Buff Orpington chicks on Feb 17. I purchased some Ameracauna chicks that were hatched the same day. The first chicks I added were Wheaten and almost identical to the BO chicks. Since she was ok with them, I hoped it would work. It seemed to since they woke up at 5:45 and everything was quiet until 10:15 when eveything went berserk. She did accept the additional Ameracauna, but I am keeping a watchful eye on the coop camera.

I will have to investigate Silkies and Cochins. I just started last June, with a mixed flock of Australorp, BO, Brahma, Silver Lace Wyandotte, and Bielefelder. Lost 2 chicks to hawks. The Buff Orpington is the only one that went broody so I indulged her.

I am so grateful to the advice I get here. What a fantastic community to belong to. Thank you so very much.

This is from my own experience. There seems to be a period of time after the eggs hatch that hens seem to accept any chick. After that time they recognize their chicks from others and will drive away any chick that is not their own. Chicks of the same color as those that are hatched under the hen do seem to be accepted better than those that are different colors and patterns. I can tell you for sure that silkies are the same as your hen. Oddly, I recently had a silkie broody leave her nest to care for chicks that were 6 weeks and over.

 

[Coop de Grass]

@nchls school I really have to look at Silkies now! Thanks for your advice. Buffy is fostering 4 of the new chicks. I tried to get them earlier from the hatchery but I didn't make a decision to get more chicks in time. In the meantime, I'm kinda glad to have these 4 little ones to fuss after.

 

[inquisitivebird]

@nchls school
, Sorry I didn't get back to you, I went down and rescued the chicks as soon as I posted! I couldn't leave them in there because they were so vulnerable.
Funny thing, my Buffy just may have some issues with chicks of darker colors! She did accept one which has a small dark stripe on top of her her, But the 2 Bielefelder chicks and the other 2 Ameracaunas were undesireable!

They were huddled together trying to be inconspicuous, and when I reached for them she did not try to defend them the way she does with the others, so I knew I was doing the right thing. Those poor babies were so happy to be picked up, and when I got to the house, I sat with them in my lap, with a towel under them that came up and created a cave. They settled down and took a nap and I sang the nonsense song that I always sang to them. 

They are 4 happy chicks in their brooder. What more could I ask for???

  :cd Thank you!    

Im glad it was at least a partial success! . All hens are different, so you did the right thing to try and then rescue the others.

 

[nchls school]

@nchls school , Sorry I didn't get back to you, I went down and rescued the chicks as soon as I posted! I couldn't leave them in there because they were so vulnerable.
Funny thing, my Buffy just may have some issues with chicks of darker colors! Odd how things occur. One of my serama hatched a black tailed bantam chick with her own. She kept tying to peck off the black on the wing tips. She did quit after awhile, but I was considering taking the chick away from her. But all ended well. She did accept one which has a small dark stripe on top of her her, But the 2 Bielefelder chicks and the other 2 Ameracaunas were undesireable!

They were huddled together trying to be inconspicuous, and when I reached for them she did not try to defend them the way she does with the others, so I knew I was doing the right thing. Those poor babies were so happy to be picked up, and when I got to the house, I sat with them in my lap, with a towel under them that came up and created a cave. They settled down and took a nap and I sang the nonsense song that I always sang to them.

They are 4 happy chicks in their brooder. What more could I ask for??? I'm glad that all worked out.

Thank you!

 

[littlekatzz]

What I've found is that some hens will take any chick, some will take only their own, and others reject everything lol. It really comes down to the personality of the hen! I've seen non broody silkies get over the top excited to see chicks, adopt them and just be like oh babies those must be mine lol. I also had a silkie who went broody hatched out babies and then attack and kill them as they hatched :/. Some hens just love being moms, some tolerate being moms, and some should never be given the chance lol. So I've gotten to where I'll try to sneak some in with a good mom and have brooder set up as a back up and I monitor the situation. But when you find you have a hen that takes any babies and makes a good mom.. You guard her with your life as she is a priceless addition. just my opinion

 

[nchls school]

What I've found is that some hens will take any chick, some will take only their own, and others reject everything lol. It really comes down to the personality of the hen! I've seen non broody silkies get over the top excited to see chicks, adopt them and just be like oh babies those must be mine lol. I also had a silkie who went broody hatched out babies and then attack and kill them as they hatched

. Some hens just love being moms, some tolerate being moms, and some should never be given the chance lol. So I've gotten to where I'll try to sneak some in with a good mom and have brooder set up as a back up and I monitor the situation. But when you find you have a hen that takes any babies and makes a good mom.. You guard her with your life as she is a priceless addition.

just my opinion

X2.

The strange thing with my serama is that she is/was a good mom, hatching many chicks of different colors. Watching the hen it looked like she thought there was something on the wing and she was trying to get it off. Of course each time she pecked/grabbed the wing the chick would chirp in pain and the silly hen would get upset trying to find the attacker.