Is 15-20 chicks too many to put under a broody hen?

[Nga]

I have a hen that have been broody for 30 or 40 days now! I think she was laying on a bunch of duds, I’m ordering days old whiting true blue chicks next week and wondering what is the maximum amount of chicks I can put under her? She is an indio gigante
, she’s about a year and a half and this is the first time she went broody. I moved her a few times but she was broody even with no nest! So I put some eggs back under her. it’s been 3 days and she’s guarding the eggs with her life! It will be a very secure coop so the chicks won’t be able to escape if she abandon them

 

[Sussex19]

I had a very small, (but not a bantam) hen have 11 chicks, and that was as many as she could manage.
If your hen is big and roomy, 15 should be ok, but I would not give more than that.

 

[Kaw-Liga]

I have an EE that raised 18 last year. That being said, I think 8-12 is a great range for one hen.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Depends on your temperatures. If your weather is pretty warm so the hen does not have to cover them when they get a bit older you can go with more. If it is going to be pretty cold I'd reduce the number. In the heat of summer I've had hens raise 15, 16, and 18 chicks. The 18 hen hid a nest and hatched that many. The others were a combo of some they hatched and some incubator chicks. In cold weather I only set 8 eggs.

 

[Nga]

If I put a lot of chicks under her would she reject them? I’ll just a heat lamp . Would that help? It’s around 90-100 degrees during the day and 70-75 at night here right now

 

[Ridgerunner]

Do not get a heat lamp, in your case all that would do is confuse things. That hen is fairly large and your temperatures are nicely warm as a low. I'd feel OK with 18 chicks or so. By the time she can't fit all of them under her the chicks will be able to handle those temperatures.

 

[Nga]

Do not get a heat lamp, in your case all that would do is confuse things. That hen is fairly large and your temperatures are nicely warm as a low. I'd feel OK with 18 chicks or so. By the time she can't fit all of them under her the chicks will be able to handle those temperatures.

Ok thank you. I’ll put 18 chicks under her

 

[Ridgerunner]

Let us know how it goes.

 

[BastyPutt]

How did this go? Really curious if she accepted all of them.

 

[Nga]

A few nights before the chicks was due to arrive we had a huge storm. something we rarely See here, the coop got flooded and she abandoned her nest its Better that way anyways, the poor girl have was sitting on those eggs for over a month, she desperately needed a break