Incubator Hatched, Chicken Raised?

[KickingChicken]

Hi- I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. I am starting my first backyard flock. I purchased 5 blue Orpington eggs online. After I purchased the eggs I came across two 11 month old buff Orpingtons that I will get today or tomorrow. The eggs should be arriving by the end of th week. My question is, since the older chickens wont be settled to go broody and hatch the new eggs, can I hatch them in my incubator and still let the chickens raise them. I am assuming that the chicken needs to hatch the eggs in order to raise the chicks? It seems so much better (easier) to have them raised by chickens. Any suggestions?

 

[HEChicken]

In a word, no. The older hens will more likely kill them than mother them. Sorry. The chicks will need to be raised in a brooder and in fact, it would be better to wait until they are all around the same size to try to integrate them.

ETA:

 

[speckledhen]

The hen must already be broody or she will kill the chicks, sorry. I've given incubator-hatched chicks to a hen who was already broody, but that's the only way it will work.

 

[clairabean]

That was our thinking, but it didn't turn out so well.
We have a major broody, so we let her set eggs. None hatched. So we decided to incubate the eggs and then give her the chicks. (We kept some eggs in the nest for her to lay on.) Chicks were born and we carefully tucked them under her, replacing the eggs with chicks. Broody freaked out and started to peck at them, trying to kill them? So, chicks are int he house in a brooder.

 

[KickingChicken]

So it is highly unlikely that two chickens in a new environment will go broody any time soon? How often do Orpingtons go broody? You know they are broody when they wont come off of their nest and they have become aggressive?

 

[clairabean]

Hard to say, really.

My broody was never aggressive towards me.

 

[Firebomb_k]

They go broody when ever they feel the need. But you cant make them and you cant predict it either. So far all my broodies have been BO's but their almost a year old too.