How many chicks can a hen handle?

[PioneerChicks]

Short: How many chicks (not eggs) can a standard sized hen handle?

Longer version: I have a dedicated broody hen right now. She's never raised chicks before. I'm planning to put ten eggs under her this morning and start more eggs in the incubator at the same time, and once they all hatch I would like her to raise the incubator chicks. I'm expecting around 15 chicks total, knowing my hatch rates.

She is in a coop with other chickens right now but by the time the chicks hatch I will have moved the others to a different coop. So for the first week she'll be in a coop and then I'll let her have access to a small enclosed run. Temps will be getting down to about 50* at night up to and 80* during the day. I could set a heat lamp in the very top of the coop where it is out of reach of the hen to raise the temperature a bit.

 

[azygous]

It depends on the breed and her overall size how many eggs she is able to cover. So measure her imprint as she is sitting, and then see how many eggs can fit within the area of the imprint.

 

[Battlepants]

I probably wouldn't exceed her egg capacity. After hatch, they still need her body heat, so still need to all be able to fit under her.

 

[PioneerChicks]

It depends on the breed and her overall size how many eggs she is able to cover. So measure her imprint as she is sitting, and then see how many eggs can fit within the area of the imprint.

Thank you! Would she be able to handle more chicks then eggs? She's a heritage Barred Holland by the way. About the size of a Plymouth Rock.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Short: How many chicks (not eggs) can a standard sized hen handle?

I have found the answer to your question depends on the temperatures they are exposed to more than anything else. For example, the Easter Egger hen below has 26 chicks. 7 she hatched herself, plus 19 ISA Browns that arrived from a hatchery. The chicks she hatched and the hatchery arrivals were born at the end of June. Daytime temps were 90 degrees and night-time temps were 70 degrees. Your forecast of 50 degrees at night may be too low for the chicks' comfort for their first few days, but a well-placed heat lamp could rectify that.

I have done this several times with other broodies too. The record was 33 chicks. By the time the chicks were big enough to not be able to fit under mama hen at night, they were feathered out enough to not completely need the hen's warmth. By two weeks of age, some chicks were usually sleeping at the front of the nestbox, because underneath the broody was Too warm for comfort.

Would she be able to handle more chicks then eggs? She's a heritage Barred Holland by the way. About the size of a Plymouth Rock.

My experience has been yes definitely they can handle many more chicks than eggs. The most i've ever given any of my broodies was 13 eggs. Even with larger size breeds and experienced broodies, 13 eggs was pushing it.

Since your broody is about the size of a Barred Rock, i think she will be able to raise 15-ish chicks. One October i gave another Easter Egger broody hen 15 feedstore chicks. (She didn't hatch any herself.) Day temps were 80-ish and nighttime temps were 60-ish. All 15 chicks did just fine. If anything, i might be concerned that 15 chicks would overwhelm a first-time broody hen. Your broody will likely be ok with 15 chicks, but ive only given such high chick numbers to proven broodies, so I have no input there. Good luck to you; let us know how
it goes.