Giving Chicks to Hen?

[mylilchix]

I have a little serama hen sitting on eggs I pulled from the incubator. So far her eggs haven't hatched. I did have 4 little bantam cochins hatch today. Do you think I can give her the babies onces I take them out, in the event that her babies don't hatch?

Thanks,
Sonja

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

I did that once, the hen killed the chicks, I did it after dark, she didn't want anything to do with the chicks. Then I tried another hen, she had 2 new hampshire chicks so that night I put 2 more new hampshire and 2 black Austrolorps chicks..she took in the 2 New Hampshire chicks but refused the 2 B.O. I left them in there and watched them. The 2 chicks were persistent and the momma finally excepted them. When you take them out to the hen, just watch them. I guess it depends on the hen if she'll except them or not. Good Luck. DJ

 

[Backyard Hencam]

Since we didn't have a rooster to fertilize eggs when we were growing up, we always bought chicks and put them under a broody hen. We even had our hens raise ducklings for us. I never remember a problem. We'd put the chicks under the hen at night and remove the golf balls she had been sitting on for a couple of weeks. Perhaps the problems occurs when you add chicks with those she has hatched herself?

Everyone was happy, especially the hens!

Good luck!

 

[mylilchix]

Thanks for the advice. I'm only going to give her babies if hers don't hatch. I also have a friend who hatched some serama babies. I was thinking of giving her one of those too. I had a bad experience with a broody last winter, so I want a better outcome this time around.

Sonja

 

[feather leg farms]

Not that I know much about that but, I used to raise hampsters and we moved the babies to another mom b/c the other mom left her babies on one side of the cage and ignored them so best bet is to put them in a brooder.

Another time a bird ran through a fan on my dads shop and got killed so we took her eggs and put them in the cage with our broody hen and she pecked them so she could eat them. I was so upset she took a birds life.