Hen mothering?

[Zillaah]

I got 18 baby chicks this year and decided to see if one of my 1 year old girls would help raise them in the hopes it would make for an easier flock integration later. I don’t have a rooster so none of my hens have had eggs to hatch before. I tried first with my Delaware since she is the most docile but she’s also easily scared and she was too skittish and freaked out the baby chicks. I put her away and grabbed one of my broody Ameraucanas next and so far all is well. I am watching closely to make sure it stays that way. Does anyone else have experience trying this? If so, how did it go?

 

[cavemanrich]

Only mothering you can get,,,,,, is out of a broody hen. They want to raise baby chicks.
A rooster is not a factor in making hens go broody. The hens do not know their eggs are not fertile. They go broody regardless.
I feel your hen is happy with her new family. Broody hens have been known to steal chicks from other hens in large flocks that have multiple hens raising at same time.
WISHING YOU BEST ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Zillaah]

Only mothering you can get,,,,,, is out of a broody hen. They want to raise baby chicks.
A rooster is not a factor in making hens go broody. The hens do not know their eggs are not fertile. They go broody regardless.
I feel your hen is happy with her new family. Broody hens have been known to steal chicks from other hens in large flocks that have multiple hens raising at same time.
WISHING YOU BEST ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thank you for the info. So far so good and they’re all happy

 

[Zillaah]

Lol She’s got 18 chicks under her and I can barely see any of them. What an adorable loving fatty cake momma hen

 

[aart]

one of my broody Ameraucanas next and so far all is well. I am watching closely to make sure it stays that way. Does anyone else have experience trying this? If so, how did it go?

Broody hens are the only ones, except for rarities, that will 'mother' new chicks.
Sometimes it works well, Congrats!
Sometimes it doesn't.
How long had your mama been broody?
Man, 18 is a LOT for one broody.

 

[Zillaah]

Broody hens are the only ones, except for rarities, that will 'mother' new chicks.
Sometimes it works well, Congrats!
Sometimes it doesn't.
How long had your mama been broody?
Man, 18 is a LOT for one broody.

I have a few that like to switch off spending their days sitting on the eggs so I just grabbed one to see how it went. They’ve all kind of been that way for a while. She sat down and they all crawled under her, some of them not fitting she raised up to a squat and tucked the rest in. I turned off the heat lamp so she wouldn’t over heat and checked them every few hours. I have them in a semi insulated cage in my garage. She sat on them all night! when I checked on them last just before sun up this morning, I turned the lamp back on but raised it up farther. About an hour later I heard her squawk so I went out and she had jumped out of the cage (top is open for now). She probably would have stayed if I hadn’t turned on the lamp but I wanted the chicks to be warm enough just in case she bailed at sun up. I put her back outside with my other hens and let the chicks do their thing for the day. My big girls are free range in my yard (about half acre) and only cooped at night. I gave my sister my smaller coop so I only have my one big one and the cage they’re in isn’t big enough to let her hang out all day. It was just an experiment to see how well it would work. I’ll have to build a smaller coop once they get bigger in the next couple of weeks so I might try leaving the broodiest in with them. We’ll see how it goes. I was just so excited she took care of them all night

 

[Zillaah]

Night number two and she’s sitting on them and keeping them warm again. such a good momma