Does it matter if a hen other than the actual mother raises young?

[donrae]

Hey, if the chicks DID take on the traits of the foster momma, maybe we could teach the next generations to go broody naturally! Wouldn't that be cool

You can try letting some eggs pile up and see if your hen is interested in brooding them. Many hens, esp hatchery stock, have no interest in brooding. It's very common to use foster mommas and they teach the chick how to be a chicken, but genetics will always tell. However, I don't notice that much behavior difference in different breeds, except maybe games being wilder, and leghorns being crazy........okay, maybe there are differences lol.

 

[Lobzi]

Thanks again for all the input. It is interesting to read the responses. I have had my own first hand experience with a non mother broody another hens eggs. The mom was of an undetermined stock but the eggs were Faverolle eggs I got from a friend. From all I can tell the Faverolles are acting pretty much like Faverolles. Question is, will the female Faverolles prefer to mate with the male Faverolles or will they gravitate toward the roos of similar heritage to their foster mom? My friend claims that to be a problem. Any ideas on that?

 

[GAchick]

The hens will mate with the dominant roo, no matter the breed of any of them,or whether they are 'related'. (ie. father to daughter/mother to son) Chickens don't think like people...