introducing new babies to mama and her babies

[SleepyBeeHollowPeepers]

Hi Friends-
We have a small flock that we began last Spring, and ten days ago one of our Buff Orps hatched 6 eggs! We are thrilled to have new babies, the natural way. (brooding by the woodstove last year was sort of a trial...) However, due to some heavy predation by Mr. Bobcat, we lost several of our flock from last year, and while six babies are great, we would like to have more. So today we purchased six ameraucanas, they are approx. a week old. My question is this: can we possibly introduce the new babies purchased today, to the happy mama and her six babies and have them accepted to the flock? We were planning on slipping them in at night... The mama and babies have their own run and box separated from the others in the (adult) flock, but they can all see and hear each other. Any guesses on if the mama hen and her babies will welcome the newest babies? Thanks for any tips or suggestions....I am, of course, ready to brood the newest babies as we did last year, and introduce them in a few months, it just seemed like since a hen was already doing the job maybe I wouldn't have to!

 

[Treegod]

I think that's a bit different. In my experience hens can be aggresive to chicks that aren't their own. I've even had deaths that way.

But if you have a broody hen there's a chance she'll accept them I bought chicks a day or two old and put them under one hen. She didn't accept, but put it under another (I had three broody hens piled one atop another lol) and she accepted like she'd hatched them!

Good luck with the chicks!