Giving chicks to a broody hen

[Noah]

Here we go.
I'll update when I can.
I should have set up the computer in the chicken room.

Say a little "something" for me.
My nerves-lol

 

[Percheron chick]

She's a silkie, They have a reputation of being some of the best broody hens out there. Relax. It's so much easier letting her do all the work instead of having them in the house in a brooder.

 

[chickimoma]

I haven't been that lucky on my one try to get a broody to foster. I agree that you don't want a light, even a red one, when you put the chicks under the hen. Ok so you need to see; take a flash lite and cover it with a cloth or something so you can see a little. My chicks were ordered so they arrived on day 3. I had set up my broody in a nice big nesting box inside a large cage several days ahead and she had settled back in on some infertile eggs. As soon as I got home with the chicks late in the afternoon (at dusk), I went into the barn with the chicks I had a heat lamp on so I could see and put the chicks under her. They melted into my broody's feathers like butter on a hot biscuit. It was magical. But any chick the hen could see, she would peck. Hard. This hen had hatched and raised a single chick before and is constantly broody; a buff Marans. I regrouped my chicks in their box, turned off all the lights, waited about 30 minutes and using my dimmed flashlite as little as possible, put the chicks back under her. You don't really have to put them directly under her because the chicks will go straight into her feathers. I thought all was well but in the morning when I turned on the lights, the hen started pecking the chicks hard. I quickly removed them.

I spoke to a friend who has successfully transferred 3 day old chicks under broody hens several times. She also said turn off the lights as much as possible and slip the chicks in. My hen had been broody for weeks but my friend has put them under some hens that have been broody for only a short time. You might keep the lights dim for the next couple of days until the hen starts to move around. I asked what she has noticed about fostered chicks vs. hatched chicks. She said the foster chicks are not as responsive to mama's signals as hatched babies who start communicating with mom before they hatch. Interesting.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Relax
Breath

 

[phalenbeck]

I have one on her hatch + five store couple day olds. I stuck them under her in the day, and removed unhatched eggs in a couple days. Let the chickens raise the chickens and do not worry. A silkey is unlikely to harm chicks,

 

[Noah]

OMG

They are all under her hugging.
I got 2 eggs out from under her.
She has 4 chicks and three fake eggs.
I couldn't get the other eggs as the chicks burrowed in so fast.
Sparkles seemed fine with the commotion.
(there was no way to get all of the eggs-the chicks crawled under her so fast.)

 

[BoTime]

Subbed

 

[sourland]

Hey, Noah, well done!

 

[Noah]

It's morning and everyone is still alive.
I didn't sleep much but the babies sure did.
Three of them are still under her but I can see the tiny heads poking out.
One chick is more off to the side but still touching her.
There was one in the group that was a little bit of a loner from the beginning, maybe that's just her personality.
Nobody has eaten or had a drink since yesterday though.
I guess I wait and watch to see what Sparkles does with "her" kids this morning.
I need coffee.

Thanks again for all the help yesterday.

 

[mylilredhen]

Congrats Noah.

It's also my 1st time doing this. I put 10 standard chicks under a broody Serama hen last night, and it seems to be going perfectly. I can't believe they can all fit under her, plus the 2 golf balls I can't even find now.

I didn't use a light but under the nest box I put an electric heat mat. The nest is a few inches off the ground so I built a little ramp for the chicks. I'll be hanging around to see what happens next.

So exciting!

 

[brahmamamamak]

I did this with my brooding Cochin. I had ceramic eggs under her and the day I received my 5 partridge Cochin chicks I planned a covert nighttime operation!!
Took one egg at a time palming in a chick to replace it