I think I messed up! Advice needed!

[JacinLarkwell]

I think the first week is probably enough time. My fosters were about 3 days before I even got them, the last one was almost 4 days before she took him, and they don't even remember anything other than her being their mom. Even of They look nothing like her or two don't even look like the other chicks

 

[slordaz]

some mommas will and some wont, they spent that brood time talking to eachother while chicks were still in the shell. I have some broodies that will take anything in while others won't, you should never give chicks to a broody you aren't prepared to raise your self if she rejects them. That being said I had a really late hatcher mom had gotten off the eggs left em as lost cause but when went to clean ut the nest there was still a stragler alive so I got it in the incubator and it hatched out the next day but she took a lot of work about a week before she accepted it cause the chicks accepted it. boy do they have different personalities too I just had 2 broodies and both failed to successfully hatch one went on like it was nothing and the other went into depression and refused to eat wouldn't take in chicks at all seemed to make the depression worse. Chickens will be chickens though.

 

[WhiteWaterChickens]

So Day 2, I have her tolerating them. They love her and are acting like her own chicks, pecking at beak, jumping on her back, responding to her noises, but I keep the lights off and go out every 1-2 hours and turn the light on, and have them all eat And drink with supervision. If she goes to nip at the I distract her with tapping her on the head with a paper towel tube. She doesn’t like that and now by the 2nd session she’s not pecking at the anymore.

it may not be right, it may not even be humane but I’ve made this mess and trying to find a solution

 

[WhiteWaterChickens]

some mommas will and some wont, they spent that brood time talking to eachother while chicks were still in the shell. I have some broodies that will take anything in while others won't, you should never give chicks to a broody you aren't prepared to raise your self if she rejects them. That being said I had a really late hatcher mom had gotten off the eggs left em as lost cause but when went to clean ut the nest there was still a stragler alive so I got it in the incubator and it hatched out the next day but she took a lot of work about a week before she accepted it cause the chicks accepted it. boy do they have different personalities too I just had 2 broodies and both failed to successfully hatch one went on like it was nothing and the other went into depression and refused to eat wouldn't take in chicks at all seemed to make the depression worse. Chickens will be chickens though.

Oh your very right and I will and can raise these chicks but I will also have to take away her own also. So I’m going to try another day or so, I don’t work until Tuesday and if I can’t trust her alone with them or they are not thriving I’ll put all 7 in the brooder, or maybe her her keep her 3 for a week or so and then when the 4 are too big for the house combine them all, it’s just so close to working right now I don’t want to give up quite yet.
ive learned a lot of lessons!

 

[slordaz]

Oh your very right and I will and can raise these chicks but I will also have to take away her own also. So I’m going to try another day or so, I don’t work until Tuesday and if I can’t trust her alone with them or they are not thriving I’ll put all 7 in the brooder, or maybe her her keep her 3 for a week or so and then when the 4 are too big for the house combine them all, it’s just so close to working right now I don’t want to give up quite yet.
ive learned a lot of lessons!

thats the spirit, some take more convincing, but they teach us a lot too

 

[WhiteWaterChickens]

Update
By day 3 she’d accepted the chicks as her own and treats them no differently. I kept the lights off and only allowed supervised time and by day 3 she was more worried about me hovering over her then she was about which chicks were which.
And as an added surprise Another of “her” eggs hatched almost a week after the first so someone musta laid a few eggs late into her nest.
Thank you all so much for your advice, I’ve learned some big lessons and understand now the connection a hen has with the eggs she’s sitting on. It’s not sight or smell But sound
Thank you

 

[centrarchid]

Update
By day 3 she’d accepted the chicks as her own and treats them no differently. I kept the lights off and only allowed supervised time and by day 3 she was more worried about me hovering over her then she was about which chicks were which.
And as an added surprise Another of “her” eggs hatched almost a week after the first so someone musta laid a few eggs late into her nest.
Thank you all so much for your advice, I’ve learned some big lessons and understand now the connection a hen has with the eggs she’s sitting on. It’s not sight or smell But sound
Thank you

She can now be called a good hen. You can be an even better manager that takes into account natural behaviors of your chickens.