grafting chicks onto a broody first timer - what's normal?

[hobby chick]

Hi guys. I have a young broody australorp x maran. She's never hatched chicks previously. She sat on infertile eggs for just over three weeks and last night (12hrs ago now) we placed three, two day old chicks under her. I removed the eggs I could but I didn't want to disturb her too much and she still has quite a few under her. She hasn't moved since then except to fiddle with the remaining eggs and startle every now and then and look under her with a bit of a peck, I assume when one of the little ones moves/chirps (we have a camera on her so we can keep an eye on them without hovering). What she isn't doing is acknowledging them the way my hens normally seem to with that gentle clucking etc so I hope she's figured out what they are. I'm not being a panicking new mum at all (ha) but I'm also just wondering, being that the chicks are already two days old how long they can remain under the hen without food or water. They have of course been eating and drinking in a brooder up until they were placed in with her. Asking now before too much time has elapsed so I know what to do if time starts to stretch on. Thanks for any advice. Everything's so much more nerve racking when your kids are invested and involved.

 

[janiedoe]

I would set a shallow bowl of food in front of her and see if she calls them to eat.
If that doesn't work, perhaps lift her up and let the chicks come out on their own. Most hens will be protective and push them back under.
I've never had a hen not acknowledge chicks so I'm going to follow your thread to see how it works out.

 

[hobby chick]

I would set a shallow bowl of food in front of her and see if she calls them to eat.
If that doesn't work, perhaps lift her up and let the chicks come out on their own. Most hens will be protective and push them back under.
I've never had a hen not acknowledge chicks so I'm going to follow your thread to see how it works out.

Thanks for your help! Nothing was moving her from her spot but one of the chicks got really impatient and started annoying her. She was a bit like 'what the heck are you?' and pecked at it a couple of times and it squawked once quite loudly. I was ready to intervene but then it wriggled back underneath and then the second time she spotted one she watched it but didn't react, then let it go back under her. I crossed my fingers and left them while I ran the kids to school then I took your advice and lifted her off them - moved them to a clean pen. Once she was off the original nest and the eggs were gone she came to life a bit more and talked to the chicks who were busily eating and drinking and she seems to now know she's a mum! Thanks again

 

[janiedoe]

Thanks for your help! Nothing was moving her from her spot but one of the chicks got really impatient and started annoying her. She was a bit like 'what the heck are you?' and pecked at it a couple of times and it squawked once quite loudly. I was ready to intervene but then it wriggled back underneath and then the second time she spotted one she watched it but didn't react, then let it go back under her. I crossed my fingers and left them while I ran the kids to school then I took your advice and lifted her off them - moved them to a clean pen. Once she was off the original nest and the eggs were gone she came to life a bit more and talked to the chicks who were busily eating and drinking and she seems to now know she's a mum! Thanks again

They are beautiful!

 

[Ambera]

It took a while for my first-time broody to adjust to her new chicks! She was super happy with the one that hatched underneath her, and for about 2 days it was just the two of them.... I then introduced two 5-day old chicks (bantams) and she took a couple of days to bond with them.

She just ignored them to start with, and would only feed "her" chick, but with time she bonded with the other two and now she loves all equally! One of the new grafted chicks took to "mum" within 2 hours, but the other (a little roo) took almost 5 days to really bond with mum and go to her for food etc.

Here's my little Diary thread when I introduced them, and you can see now how well they all get on!

 

[K0k0shka]

It's the remaining eggs that disrupted the flow of things. If she has unhatched eggs under her, she'll keep sitting and waiting for them to hatch, even if there are chicks already hatched also under her. Maybe she was still in the incubation trance they go into while brooding, and the eggs being gone is what snapped her out of it and shifted her to the next phase - taking care of the hatched chicks. They are adorable!