Can you place a chick under a broody hen, sucessfully? suggestions?

[alanb]

CACKLER ; Please give a new report on the Guinie Egg's Thankyou ,

... ALAN B .

 

[jvls1942]

I give babies to clucks all the time..

this week I had a goose hatch out 2 goslings while I hatched out one in the bator.. after 2 days I took the bator one in broad daylight and agitated the goose and gander, who was standing guard.
when they were intent on biting me, I gently tossed the new gosling under the goose.. they were so intent on protecting their family, that they never noticed the new guy.. two days later, I took two ducklings out and just turned them loose in the nest.. the goose accepted them also.. now they can raise them and I can concentrate on other things..

I have put just about every type of egg under just about every type of bird.. goose under chicken , quail under chicken,guniea under turkey

they all hatch..

 

[cackler]

I'm glad you all are having success with the chicks! The people that we got the fertile guinea eggs from said that since the chicks they had that were 3-4 days old were born in an incubator that that possibly wouldn't work to swap them under our broody hen - so we opted for the egg experiment. I think it's 28 days for guinea eggs to hatch - hopefully I'll have good news to pass on if everyone makes it that long. The chicken decided to have her nest in the open area of our barn - not too protected from predators but we are afraid that if we try to move her some other place that won't work either.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Just a different experience to really confuse the matter-

I had a silkie hatch out two chicks. Two weeks later the second silkie hatched out another batch of three chicks. Two days later three more chicks hatched in the incubator. When the inside chicks were a day old and standing, I tucked them up under the second silkie to hatch out. SHE accepted them just fine. The problem seemed to be that the chicks didn't know how to respond to her mama hen sounds. When she made the "yummy food here" sound, her three chicks would come running. The incubator chicks just stood there. Two nights later I came home from work to find one of the babies dead and the other two just huddled in the run. She was in the coop sitting on the other three occasionally calling for them. I brought the remaining two back in the house and warmed them up under the heat lamp. They didn't seem to know how to be chickens. All I can figure is that the babies hear mama while still in the shell and she hears them when they start peeping in shell. The imprinting must start that early. It makes sense actually.

The other odd thing is that the babies from hen #1 and hen #2 are almost interchangeable. Sometimes they all are hanging out with the first silkie. Sometimes they all hang out with the second. All of them come running when one of the hens makes the "Yummy food here" sound. All I can figure is that since they brooded together in fairly tight quarters, everybody got used to hearing everybody else. Dunno.

I know a lot of people are very successful at switching chicks up under a hen. It would interesting to know the variables at play (age of chicks, are there existing chicks, et.). It would make for an interesting 4H project.

 

[phoenix rooster]

I think that the bantam breeds work best for adopting due too their size. the bigger chickens may accidently crush a baby chick. My two bantam cochins are awesome adopting moms. They took to them immediately and the Austrolorp took half a day longer. They are much happier now that they don't have to sit on eggs. I left the brooder light on, but higher about 2-3 feet up just in case. they all seem to like it on. The Three moms sit next too each other in a tight circle and the little ones are buried between them. I'll try to get a pic.

 

[cackler]

She's made it two days so far.

One with her 15 nonfertile eggs before we found her after she was 'missing' and last night with her new guinea eggs. She came out for awhile this morning and drank and ate a bit and since then has been on her nest. I sure hope this works!!!

 

[jvls1942]

It'll work..

 

[steve2495]

what if u have a broody that is less than 3 weeks broody

 

[pdsavage]

I just did the chick swith this morning since all her eggs went bad

I just took the chicks and a extra egg and stuck em under her and she was all happy with 3 new chicks...

 

[cackler]

pdsavage - that is brilliant.

Good luck!