Hens with incubator eggs

[chickenboy95]

Hi all.
I have 12 eggs in the incubator.
My grandma/pa don't want to raise the little chicks when they hatch on the 21, 22,23 of Jan. Well we have a huge standard cochin that is broody. I'm the chicken expert over here at my house and my grandpa/ma wanted to know if when the chicks started hatching/pipping if we could run them outside and stick them under her. I didn't know the answer so im asking all you chicken experts. I have a few questions myself.

1. Will she except them more readily if they are still in the egg peeping at her and she thinks [she] hatched them or will she still possibly attack them. (I have two golf balls under her so she thinks that shes incubating something

long enough for them to hatch. The golf balls are there also to keep her on the nest.

2. If she doesn't except them what is a good thing for the chicks to be able to crawl under if we have to brood them in the house. Would a stuffed animal work???

This is her below.

 

[dbcooper02]

I gave some of my broody hens incubator eggs on day 18 in the incubation period last summer. The hen raised chicks are more robust and know a lot more about foraging than brooder raised chicks.

I would suggest that about Monday you swap all your incubator eggs in under her. I see you have different hatch dates, but give them to her all at once. She will know what to do.

I wouldn't wait till they start to pip. That would be risking them drying out and getting stuck.
db

 

[chickenboy95]

oh ok thanks thats really helpful

thank you

cole.

 

[dbcooper02]

Tell me about your broody's nest setup. Is it low so the chicks will be able to come and go once they start moving around? Is it in an area where you can exclude other chickens or predators from coming in and bothering the family or stealing their food and water? I sure wouldn't try to move her at this point but you might want to plan ahead about what you will need to do as far as accomodations go.

 

[PortageGirl]

Most (though probably not all) egg hatchin' mamas will protect those chicks from other hens, though from predators, that's another story. My mother hens always kept aggressive hens away from their babies VERY well. This is of course not a guarantee so I'd consider the possibility, but if it was me and I knew the hen, I'd do it.

Also, once she lets em out of the nest, they can hop down from quite a ways safely, (a surprisingly height really) they just won't be able to get back up... so I'd have a second 'nest' area ready for them after they get down. I used the bottom of a cat crate last time, placing it on the floor in a safe sort of 'corner' after she gets em out of the first area. It kept nesting material in, but the front was low enough for the chicks to get into. She won't move out of the one she's in now though... not till the peeps are out.