Hens adopting chicks.

[cheyfrie26]

I use this method quite a lot. If I hatch chicks in my incubator and have a hen hatch chicks close to this time, I will sneak the incubator chicks under her. I have also mixed different types of poultry. Right now I have a hen raising two of her own chicks and a TURKEY poult. I don't sneak baby ducks or geese under my hens. I have before but the last time the other chickens pecked the poor little guy all the time. But anything from turkeys, pheasants, and peacocks can go under a standard chicken. If you have bantams, they can care for quail, chukar, and those types of birds. This is a random post, but I see people asking all the time on here. MAKE SURE THE CHICKS ARE JUST HATCHED. Most of the time mother birds will only take the day olds.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've read of chickens hatching ducks and ducks hatching chickens, but you have to take the chickens away from the ducks quickly before the mama duck takes them for a swim.

 

[cheyfrie26]

Yea, hens can hatch ducks but you need to quickly take them away.

 

[HHandbasket]

Our broody hatched babies yesterday and the day before. Today, we received a shipment of chicks from Ideal. One of the shipped chicks is really, really loud, so we offered him to the broody to see if she would care for him. She lifted her wing & he ran underneath and joined the other chicks that were raining from her armpits. She absorbed him like a sponge.

It was really neat.

 

[v.cyr]

I though that you couldn't keep chickens and turkeys together... something about chickens carrying diseases that can kill turkeys....

 

[cheyfrie26]

Thats only if their in a chicken coop. And its dust from their poop.