How Long Must A Hen Be Broody Before You Can Sneak Chicks Under Her?

[srslychickning]

Hi Everyone. I have read a lot of threads about sneaking chicks under broody hens and I'd like to do that. My silkie laid a nice clutch of eggs and I put them in the incubator. They are in lockdown now, and in the past week, she has become broody and is sitting on the eggs that have been laid since probably a week ago (so maybe 6 or 7 right now).

Here's my question - do you think she will fall for it if I put babies under her within the next two days? She will have been broody for about 8 or 10 days at that point, but certainly not long enough for her to have hatched her own chicks. This is her first time going broody, she is only about 7 or 8 months old.

I would LOVE to hear all of your opinions on if you think this mission would be a go. Thanks!!

 

[Judy]

I've never tried it when they were such a new broody, but I think it would work if they are really full blown broody.
Certainly they can't count, because the can stay broody for 3 or 4 months if they hatch nothing. So I figure, broody is broody, and those little wiggly things should trigger the next stage. I guess!

 

[srslychickning]

Well, seems like as of yesterday, not one but BOTH my silkie hens are broody now. The one has been totally in the box for a week, now the other one is in there and won't come out. They are squeezed into the same box, too - they won't spread out. I should hopefully have 12-16 hatch so maybe I'll put some under them, and some in my brooder, and see how it goes.

 

[srslychickning]

Please forgive the shameless bump, but I am expecting the hatch to happen tomorrow and would love to know if anyone else has any opinion or experience with anything like this. Thanks so much!

 

[themenagerie]

I''ll help you bump it...I have a newly broody hen and chicks in the incubator due to hatch on Saturday. Would love to know the answer myself.

 

[Sakmeht]

I've put new chicks under an Ameraucana hen that was 11 days broody. She accepted them just fine. It's certainly possible! Good luck!

Have they hatched yet? Let us know if your broody accepted them!

 

[song of joy]

I''ll help you bump it...I have a newly broody hen and chicks in the incubator due to hatch on Saturday. Would love to know the answer myself.

It depends so much on the hen, that it's difficult to give you an answer. If the hen has a proven track record of raising chicks in the past, she'll most likely accept foster chicks if she's been broody for a couple of weeks. However, sometimes it doesn't work out. I tried putting day-old hatchery chicks under a buff orpington that had been broody for 2 weeks. She attacked 2 of the chicks, injuring them so severely they had to be put down. She ignored the other 3 chicks, which were huddled on the far side of the coop.

 

[themenagerie]

It depends so much on the hen, that it's difficult to give you an answer. If the hen has a proven track record of raising chicks in the past, she'll most likely accept foster chicks if she's been broody for a couple of weeks. However, sometimes it doesn't work out. I tried putting day-old hatchery chicks under a buff orpington that had been broody for 2 weeks. She attacked 2 of the chicks, injuring them so severely they had to be put down. She ignored the other 3 chicks, which were huddled on the far side of the coop.

My hen (blue orpington) is a proven fantastic mama, goes broody a couple times a year has raised about 1/2 dozen broods. She has hatched out and accepted chicks put under her in the wee hours, but never tried it at only a week broody.. I may try it, may not.. but thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[srslychickning]

Thanks so much everyone! Well, my hatch was terrible - 16 viable eggs went into lockdown, 4 hatched. I was so disappointed. the hens that are broody are only 6 months and this is their first time going broody. Plus, then are sitting on 6 of their own eggs, which should hatch in 8-10 days. Because of all of these factors, I decided that this time, I would not attempt to slip these 4 under them. I don't want them to abandon the eggs they are on now, since my incubator hatch was so terrible.

I am very frustrated with this incubator. My temps and humidity were great all the way through, and this is the second hatch in a row where I've gotten terrible results. I had great hatches last year with it, maybe it's just konking out or something...it's a Little Giant Still Air. I might give it one more chance and then junk it if I get similar results.

Thanks again everyone and if I have the opportunity to try again in the future, I will and I'll post my results.

 

[Beekissed]

I've done it several times under broodies only brooding for a week and it went very well. I had one WR that I used like that several times, letting her raise chicks I'd gotten in the mail.

I've even put eggs from my incubator on the last day of hatch under a broody of only a week and let her hatch those out and raise them..then, later on that night, I stuffed under her the ones I hatched inside in the incubator as well...that was her first brood. She was a ferocious mother...still is. She is currently broody and will be brooding again for me this year.

A week is my timed criteria before I'll trust any broody with hatching eggs or young chicks....if they can be dedicated to a nest for a week, then I load them up with either eggs or chicks. Just make sure they are a dedicated broody~make fight at you if you try to get the eggs or remove her from the nest, don't spend long periods of time off the nest, don't leave the nest to roost with the flock at night, etc. By a week's time you should be able to determine if she is serious at the job or not...then I give her a job.