Introducing chick to mom hen

[stephvan]

We have a hen that is sitting on eggs, she has one chick hatch a few days ago , instead of it staying under her it ran out in yard. I tried to put it back in the nest with her but she pecked it. So I took it in the house .She has now had some more hatch , can I try to reintroduce this chick to the nest?

 

[Orion ZyGarian]

I've heard you're supposed to sneak it under the hen when theyre sleeping so when she wakes up, she thinks it just hatched. Are there still other unhatched eggs?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I've heard you're supposed to sneak it under the hen when theyre sleeping so when she wakes up, she thinks it just hatched. Are there still other unhatched eggs?

X2

I have done this successfully at night, when it was really dark outside. I sneaked in and stuck that baby under the mama hen. She won't be able to tell the difference between that chick and the rest of her hatches.

 

[Rachnicko]

We had a staggered hatch and reintroduced chicks to the mum while we supervised. She looked like she was pecking them initially... but we actually think she was trying to get them to go underneath her. I think every broody is different tho, so I would just say to observe closely when you do it.

 

[centrarchid]

We have a hen that is sitting on eggs, she has one chick hatch a few days ago , instead of it staying under her it ran out in yard. I tried to put it back in the nest with her but she pecked it. So I took it in the house .She has now had some more hatch , can I try to reintroduce this chick to the nest?

The hen was too early in incubation cycle to imprint on that first chick, therefore she rejected it. She must have co-opted an egg from another hen that had already started incubation. Now she is at proper stage by chick is now outside ideal time frame which may require forcing the imprinting issue. The hen will be less likely to peck at what she considers foreign if she cannot see it. Placing chick under her at night can take advantage of that. Overnight the chick and hen will get increasingly used to each other. If she still rejects chick in the morning, then place in a small cage very close to hen for the day so she can hear. Then place chick under her for a second night. Odds are she will accept by the second morning if not the first. The chick will also accept her.