Hen picking on her 2 chicks!

[Darren Leonard]

My broody hen hatched out a chick the other day and I decided I was going to buy more for her to adopt. She took them fine and now I have her in a big chicken tractor with 5 chicks. The chicks I bought were 2 weeks old so they're a little bit older than her chick. She took 2 of them fine but she seems to be leaving 2 behind and when I move them over to her she pecks their necks. When she moves away they dont know what to do they just dont move at all. Help!

 

[azygous]

It rarely works when you try to fool a broody into accepting chicks she hasn't hatched that are older than just a few days. It has to be done as soon after she has reached her 21 day threshold as possible to coincide with her mental calendar.

I'm afraid you're relegated to brooding these rejected chicks yourself. However, you can maximize the probability of all the chicks integrating with one another by brooding these extras in close proximity to the broody and the chicks she's raising.

I like to do this in an adjacent safe pen using the heating pad cave system.

 

[Darren Leonard]

It rarely works when you try to fool a broody into accepting chicks she hasn't hatched that are older than just a few days. It has to be done as soon after she has reached her 21 day threshold as possible to coincide with her mental calendar.

I'm afraid you're relegated to brooding these rejected chicks yourself. However, you can maximize the probability of all the chicks integrating with one another by brooding these extras in close proximity to the broody and the chicks she's raising.

I like to do this in an adjacent safe pen using the heating pad cave system.

What do you mean by a cave system. I have a heat plate and I could partition of a bit for the chicks in 2 weeks time.

 

[chickens really]

If she isn't actually hurting them at all then just leave them with her but Supply the heat source they will need being she isn't wanting to be Momma to them.

 

[azygous]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update.956958/