Giving a momma hen chicks she didn’t hatch

[ChunkyBirb]

I just had an idea and I wanted to see if anyone had ever done it.
Has anyone given a hen with chicks more chicks after her clutch has hatched? If not, what is the reason you didn’t do it or why it didn’t work?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I do that regularly. Often when I set eggs under a broody hen I start eggs in the incubator. After they hatch I combine them under her. Things can go wrong either with an incubator or under a broody hen. This way the hen always has chicks to raise.

The way I typically do it is to wait until it is dark and put the extra chicks under her. Actually it is more put them in the nest next to her, I don't want to injure a chick by forcing it under her or injure a chick already under her by cradling a new chick and pushing with the back of my hand. The chicks find their way under her.

The younger the chicks are the better. It is best if the chicks are three days old or less. The chicks imprint on the hen and he hen imprints on the chicks so if you wait too long they may not imprint on each other. Some hens will accept chicks much older but sometimes the problem is that the chicks don't accept the hen.

 

[ChunkyBirb]

Often when I set eggs under a broody hen I start eggs in the incubator. After they hatch I combine them under her. Things can go wrong either with an incubator or under a broody hen. This way the hen always has chicks to raise.

That is an excellent idea! I will do that when my hen goes broody again.