Having trouble getting broody hen to adopt hatchery chicks

[Ersa]

I have some 3 day old chicks that came from the hatchery and I'm trying to get my broody hen to accept them. She's been sitting on some eggs for about a week and tonight I tried to slip the babies under her. She pecked at them so hard I had to rescue them. I'm wondering if I should try again in a few hours because maybe it was too light out still and she wasn't sleepy enough.

Any suggestions on what I can do to try and make this next attempt tonight successful?

 

[Pork Pie]

You can try again, but maybe its either too soon in her broody cycle (i.e. you may have had success around week three of sitting) or she simply will not accept the chicks. It's always a chance one takes as to whether it will work or not.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I agree it's probably too early for her. While chickens generally are not the smartest animals on the planet, she knows by instinct that her eggs shouldn't be hatching already. She may not accept them at all.

 

[chickens really]

Hello
It's too early and in most cases you cant trick a Broody...Those Chicks at three days old are getting too old to introduce to her...Some die hard Broody Hens will foster other Chicks and some wont...Just brood those ones yourself....

 

[Ersa]

I did attempt to put some babies under my Golden Lace Cochin last night but she attacked the babies each time. I agree with what a couple of you said, it's too early in her broody cycle for them.

I have a Black Frizzle Cochin that has been broody for months, but due to some unexpected circumstances she got startled and stopped sitting on her unfertilized and fake eggs last week. I had been letting her stay broody because I was expecting this shipment of babies and thought she would be the best candidate for adopting them. She did allow me to slip some babies under her late last night, and this morning they were all alive and she wasn't attacking them, but she wasn't interested in staying with them either. She left the nest and babies, to eat with the rest of the hens and even when I put her back in the box with the babies she immediately got up and went to another box. So babies are back under the lamp in the house, and while I was hoping not to have to raise these myself, it's looking like that's the case.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I did attempt to put some babies under my Golden Lace Cochin last night but she attacked the babies each time. I agree with what a couple of you said, it's too early in her broody cycle for them.

I have a Black Frizzle Cochin that has been broody for months, but due to some unexpected circumstances she got startled and stopped sitting on her unfertilized and fake eggs last week. I had been letting her stay broody because I was expecting this shipment of babies and thought she would be the best candidate for adopting them. She did allow me to slip some babies under her late last night, and this morning they were all alive and she wasn't attacking them, but she wasn't interested in staying with them either. She left the nest and babies, to eat with the rest of the hens and even when I put her back in the box with the babies she immediately got up and went to another box. So babies are back under the lamp in the house, and while I was hoping not to have to raise these myself, it's looking like that's the case.

I am having a similar situation with my bantam brahma. She has been broody for nearly two months now. A month ago I tried to give her some fresh hatched guineas and she wouldn't take them. I have some more chicks and guineas hatching in the next few days and we'll see what she does. I need her to get off the nest either way, so either she takes babies or she gets to live in a dog crate for a few days