Giving Broody chicks question

[sasimpson77]

Have a question I have a broody hen who has been sittin gon eggs for 2 weeks I candled a week ago and she ended up with only 4 out of a dozen growing eggs. Today she broke one so I am thinking about taking the three remaining and giving her s dozen or more chicks that have hatched today will she take them? I will put her remaining 3 eggs into the incubator.has she been broody long enough to take the chicks? This is my first ever broody hen and I am rather excited about having a hen raise some chicks for me.

 

[Aseel-lover]

No i dont think she will take the chicks, chicken are clever and very protective, if a new chick will come by her they usually dont look after it or will eventually kill it.

 

[sasimpson77]

really I w

No i dont think she will take the chicks, chicken are clever and very protective, if a new chick will come by her they usually dont look after it or will eventually kill it.

Really is that because hers are not due to hatch yet?
I have herad they will take chicks if they are slipped under her at night

 

[Aseel-lover]

Yes, but you should leave the last 3 eggs, because normally when hens break a egg they no its empty, thats what i have learnt in keeping chickens all the ones my hen use to break was non fertile, was the egg empty that she broke?

 

[sasimpson77]

Yes, but you should leave the last 3 eggs, because normally when hens break a egg they no its empty, thats what i have learnt in keeping chickens all the ones my hen use to break was non fertile, was the egg empty that she broke?

no it wasn't empty there was a developing chick in it

 

[Aseel-lover]

Well i think you will be better of if you put the remaining eggs in a incubator and the chicks that have hatched put them in a brooder and raise them yourself.

 

[wigs]

I've dealt with 2 broody hens this year....both have hatched their eggs. The first one was a bear and no one would bother with her but the second one is more timid and the other hens would always push her off the eggs so they could lay their eggs in her nest. Every so often I would find a broken egg. Last week, I checked under her and there were only 4 eggs left, one of the broken ones had a dead chick in it, the other was only yolk and mama had yolk on her beak. I started to think she was doing it.
Anyhow, her underside was soaked and half crusted with egg and the remaining eggs were drenched. I brought her in and gave her a quick bath only to find she had no feathers under her. I wiped off the remaining eggs with a damp cloth and relocated her to a secluded shed cut off from the other birds and crossed my fingers as there was only 3 days left before hatching date. Everytime I checked on her I expected the worse but two days later, she had 2 babies under her. The other eggs didn't hatch, they weren't fertilized (haven't got the candle thing down pat yet).
Perhaps try relocating her where she feels safer.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Have a question I have a broody hen who has been sittin gon eggs for 2 weeks I candled a week ago and she ended up with only 4 out of a dozen growing eggs. Today she broke one so I am thinking about taking the three remaining and giving her s dozen or more chicks that have hatched today will she take them? I will put her remaining 3 eggs into the incubator.has she been broody long enough to take the chicks? This is my first ever broody hen and I am rather excited about having a hen raise some chicks for me.

if she has been sitting for 2 weeks, I do think that is long enough that she will accept chicks you place under her. please make sure to put them under her at night, when she cannot see you do it. place them under her wings so she does not crush them.

it is a good idea to separate the hen and her nest from the other chickens who can mess everything up by trying to lay in her nest (or even peck and kill the newly hatched chicks). separation for the first 2 days of life,after that she should get up and walk around with them and she will protect them from the flock.

 

[sasimpson77]

Up date

I gave her the chicks and she was thrilled I might have gone over board as I gave her 20+ chicks but she is doing great. I had already seperated her from the other hens so that was not an issue I am very glad I did it because when I candled her three remaining eggs only one was viable. So she is now a happy momma has already started taking the babies out foraging.

 

[Peeps61]

She does look very maternal in your pictures! I'm glad it worked out for you.