How to tell if Chicken is still broody?

[PeppersChicks]

I have a hen that has been broody so I introduced a chick to her that she has bonded with. I want to introduce a couple of more so that chick is not alone but tonight she out of the nesting box and in the corner with the chick. Is she no longer broody and too late to add chicks?

 

[sourland]

How long has the chick been with her. Most hens quickly bond to their chicks and regard others as 'strangers' to be picked on. If the additional chicks are the same color as the first she may accept them. Some hens are more motherly than others.

 

[DobieLover]

I have a hen that has been broody so I introduced a chick to her that she has bonded with. I want to introduce a couple of more so that chick is not alone but tonight she out of the nesting box and in the corner with the chick. Is she no longer broody and too late to add chicks?

She's broody but she is not trying to hatch any longer now that she has the chick. She is now brooding the chick.
The ideal way to graft multiple chicks to a broody hen is all at the same time with the same number of chicks as eggs she had.
You can try to give her a couple of chicks and see if she'll accept them. But there is a fairly good chance she won't.

 

[PeppersChicks]

She’s been with her about 3 days

 

[DobieLover]

She’s been with her about 3 days

Has she been broody in the past?
How old is the chick?
How old are the chicks you want to introduce?
If you do it, as Sour mentioned, giving her more of the same color chicks might help. I would slip them under her at night and wouldn't try to give her more than 2 more. Be out there well before sun-up to monitor and intervene if she rejects the new chicks.

 

[PeppersChicks]

She's broody but she is not trying to hatch any longer now that she has the chick. She is now brooding the chick.
The ideal way to graft multiple chicks to a broody hen is all at the same time with the same number of chicks as eggs she had.
You can try to give her a couple of chicks and see if she'll accept them. But there is a fairly good chance she

Has she been broody in the past?
How old is the chick?
How old are the chicks you want to introduce?
If you do it, as Sour mentioned, giving her more of the same color chicks might help. I would slip them under her at night and wouldn't try to give her more than 2 more. Be out there well before sun-up to monitor and intervene if she rejects the new chicks

Has she been broody in the past?
How old is the chick?
How old are the chicks you want to introduce?
If you do it, as Sour mentioned, giving her more of the same color chicks might help. I would slip them under her at night and wouldn't try to give her more than 2 more. Be out there well before sun-up to monitor and intervene if she rejects the new chicks.

This is her first time being broody. The chick was a day old and the new chicks will be a day old. She is still sitting on eggs and stayed in the nesting box that is until today. She came out with the chick and tonight nested in the corner so I may have missed my window of opportunity

 

[DobieLover]

This is her first time being broody. The chick was a day old and the new chicks will be a day old. She is still sitting on eggs and stayed in the nesting box that is until today. She came out with the chick and tonight nested in the corner so I may have missed my window of opportunity

Do you have the chicks in a brooder? If so, pop them under her and go out before dawn to monitor.

 

[PeppersChicks]

Do you have the chicks in a brooder? If so, pop them under her and go out before dawn to monitor.

I do but I have 4 chicks do you think thats too many? I was hoping she’d take to them so I could avoid the work she can do for me.

 

[Saveria]

It depends on what kind of a broody hen she is, some are determined about mothering and very accepting, others not. We can't know if this is her first time, but if you can intervene quickly there is no harm in trying. Just do what DobieLover said and watch carefully.

When I was grafting chicks to a broody, she wasn't the problem. The chicks kept running away from her, and we had to move them to somewhere flat. We got the chicks from the store, so they needed food and water, but she was still waiting for the "others" to hatch. There were a couple nights of moving chicks around in the dark . I learned that it may take some time and energy either way, but hopefully it will go smoothly for you.

 

[Mrs. K]

Get the chicks a little cold - the point about the chicks running away is valid. The chicks need to be a bit chilled, not life threatening, but in serious need of a good warm up. Do it in the dark, let the broody listen to their distressed peeping for several minutes. Then in the dark - slip them under her, they should burrow in tight. If they do so, she will take them.

Often times people blame the hen, when really it is the chick that is not making the bond. If they get too old, they won't see her as a warm place. I would do it tonight. I would not worry about the egg count or chick count, hens can't count.

Mrs K