Can I put the chicks with my hen?

[thepick4uchicks]

They are too old to bond with the hen, and she won’t accept them. Get them full feathered (about 4 weeks) and introduce them like any other chicken. Put the brooder in coop. Week of look don’t touch. Then make a door sized so chicks can run through, but hen cannot. They will venture out and mingle. Retreating if needed. Also supply hiding spots that chicks can get away from hen further away from brooder (run, across coop, etc)

You will need multiple feeder and water stations. @aart has a handy run down that covers it in better detail I believe

Yes aart does have a detailed thread about this. If you cannot find it with a thread search then just message him directly and he will be glad to point you to it. He is very detailed as he is an engineer by trade and education I believe and very good at chicken juggling as is his title.

 

[NatJ]

Could I still try and put some with her?

You CAN try anything.
Several people have given reasons that they think you should not try.
If you do try anyway--watch, and be ready to take the chicks back out if there is a problem.

Hens will typically try to protect their own babies from those "dangerous" big chicks.

If the hen chases away the bigger chicks, she can hurt or kill them.
And while she's chasing the big chicks, she might step on her own little babies, which is also bad for them.

Also, if the big ones tried to sleep underneath the hen at night they might squish the little ones, or push the little ones out into the cold. (That's if the hen was willing to let them sleep under her, which will probably not happen.)

 

[Jared Vera]

Ok thanks for the information, I just thought because they originally were hers that I could still give them to her, but I will wait until they are fully feathered and then I integrate them in the flock. Thank you all!

 

[NatJ]

I just thought because they originally were hers that I could still give them to her

Hens do not seem to be able to tell which babies hatched from eggs they laid.

To a hen, "her" babies are the ones that hatched under her, or ones that were put under her as tiny chicks so she thinks she hatched them.

If the eggs hatched at a different place and time, then she does not think they are "hers."

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Good post ^^

Unlike humans (and that rare dog or cat you see on the news with a tiger cub), chickens do not care if a baby doesn't have a parent. They consider it competition to their own genes (anything they hatched themselves) and will do what they can to either protect their own chicks from it or get rid of the competition all together