Can you fool a broody hen?

[daniel-delarosa]

My first broody sat on her eggs for 20 days, then they vanished. Now I have another hen that is broody, about 4 days in. My friend has some chickens that lay dark brown eggs that I like. I was going to get a few from him and incubate them. After they hatch, can I put them with my hen even if she already hatched her chicks? When a hen hatches chicks, does she take care of them or do you have to separate them?

 

[galanie]

You can only do that if she still has eggs to hatch or is still broody and hasn't hatched any (and never will). Night is best time to do it. Now, if her eggs JUST hatched, and she's still sitting tight, you'll probably get away with it.

When a hen hatches them, you can let her take care of them or take them in, your choice. I let the hen do the work, it to me is the whole idea of letting the hen do the hatching in the first place => to be lazy.

 

[Keara]

Go ahead and put some fertile eggs under your 4 day broody. Once they hatch she will take care of the chicks, as long as you have food and water she and the chicks can reach. Mostly Momma hen will protect them from the rest of the flock but.... if your flock is kept in a fence, you may want to make a safe place for the chicks to hide. Something they can get under where the big chickens can not reach them.