eggs/mom

[mpoland33]

So I have 6- 3 week old chicks and I have 35 in the incubator. I just had a hen turn broody. Would I be able to sit the mom on the eggs or even the chicks at this point?

 

[JaeG]

I wouldn't give her the chicks - she won't accept them seeing as she has only just gone broody and they aren't little chicks anymore. My hens when I let them hatch eggs ditched their chicks when they were 4 weeks old, so 3 week old chicks are nearing the time that a hen would naturally start to encourage them to be independent.

How far along are your eggs? If she hasn't been broody very long they'd have to be a maximum of a week into incubation. If they hatch too early in her cycle she won't switch from brooding to mothering. She will be stuck on brooding and potentially won't look after them.

 

[mpoland33]

Thats what I was looking for, thank you! My eggs are on day 12 so that won't work. I wasnt planning on it this time around but figured I would ask with that timing working out

 

[JaeG]

They never seem to go broody quite when you want them too.

Some people also let them sit for 4 days to a week to make sure that they are serious (and not just toying with the idea of being broody), and then give them eggs to sit on. Our hens that go broody will sit on nothing for up to 6 weeks (I don't break them of being broody because I don't desperately need their eggs) so you've got a bit of time to organise eggs to put under them.