i need a momma hen

[chicken farmer8]

this is my first post thought id give it a try

I am getting about 7 little chicks and i need to know what hen would be best to care for them my sex link chickens dont want any thing to do with them i need somthing that will adopt them and care for them as her own.

 

[sourland]

The only hen that will foster chicks is a broody hen regardless of breed - the longer she has been setting, the more likely it will go smoothly. Just place the chicks under her at night so that she becomes accustomed to their movements and peeping and bonds with them.

 

[chicken farmer8]

Thankyou very much i will try this out

 

[coorusu]

hello! a hen won't really care for chicks unless she's the one who hatched them in the first place, i'd say. why don't you just set up a brooder and care for them yourself? it's easy, and lots of fun to watch them grow! a brooder can be anything as easy as a hamster/bird cage with a heat lamp over it, or a cardboard box with chicken wire over the top to put the lamp on. the chicks will become very friendly very quickly this way, since they're not 'wild' raised by another chicken. good luck!

 

[sourland]

Actually, most hens will readily accept foster chicks. As long as a hen has been broody for close to 21 days and the chicks are introduced at night - I don't think I have ever had a hen that would not foster the chicks.

 

[chicken farmer8]

sourland do you thin i should separate the hen i want to take care of my chicks from all the others because i hear that they can be really men and kill the chicks if they get the chance

 

[sourland]

First you need a setting hen. I have done it both ways. I have separated a hen and her chicks from the flock until the chicks were partially fledged and fully mobile. I have also allowed hens in a free range situation to continue on in a flock situation. In a coop or small run situation I personally would not leave a hen with small chicks with the flock.

 

[chicken farmer8]

ok thanks

 

[CrossedSabers]

I just tried the foster mother hen thing for the first time and it is working. I have a Golden Laced Cochin hen that was broody for about a week. I got three Buff Orpington pullets from a local farm store and slipped them under Momma hen in the middle of the night. Even though the pullets were almost two weeks old, they bonded to the hen. And the hen is taking good care of them.

It's all about timing and using a hen that is already broody. I wrote up a little blog post about my experience with this. Hope it helps!


http://crossedsabersranch.blogspot.com/2014/03/operation-chicken-little.html

 

[CrossedSabers]

I made a second attempt at using foster hens to raise chicks from a farm store. It started out rough, though. I lost a few chicks, but that was my fault and not the fault of the broody hens. It's a long story, so I posted it on my blog in three parts. I learned the hard way that you need to isolate the broody hen and foster chicks!

Here's a link to Part One of my series of three articles about foster hens. I hope you find my experiences helpful.

http://crossedsabersranch.blogspot.com/2014/08/cheeper-by-dozen-part-1.html