Does a hen have to be broody to raise chicks?

[themenagerie]

I have a very maternal Orpington hen, in her past home she was often broody & when I bought her they gave her to me with two chicks to break her broodiness, those chicks are now about 8 weeks old . She spends a lot of time in the nest box moving the golf balls around under her, but she will move if I ask her to and spends plenty of time outside the coop. Here's the question....I have six day old chicks coming next week. Is it at all possible (or not at all) that if I put them under her at night she would accept them, or does she have to be broody in the "I'm not getting off this nest until I hatch eggs" way?

 

[silkiechicken]

99.9% of the time they will have to have been through a broody stage to properly raise chicks starting at day olds as the way they treat their chicks changes post hatch.