Is my hen a good mama??

[Farmlife16]

This is my first time giving chicks to a broody hen. I gave 4 chicks to my broody Buff Orpington Friday night. She had been broody for about 10 days when I slipped them under her. She didn't even seem to notice and since Friday she has shown no aggression to the chicks. My concern is that she isn't fully devoted to her chicks. Today when I let her/her chicks into the rest of the coop, she found an egg close by that she slipped under her. Then when I took it away, she ran outside and settled down where she normally dust bathes, leaving the chicks behind. The coop is a raised one, so I helped the chicks down and they went to mama. My other hens came to check out the newcomers and my BO didn't even seem to notice. She did show distress though when one of the hens pecked a chick. Now she is walking around puffed up with her new babies following her. Is there anything wrong with my hen or am I just over worried? She just doesn't seem super absorbed in the chicks. Do you think she is just still transitioning from broody to mama mode?
I'd appreciate your thoughts!

 

[igorsMistress]

A hen being broody is hormone related. It’s usually better to wait and get chicks at or around the time the eggs should hatch. If you don’t let the broody go through the entire cycle they may not accept the babies. At this point you’d probably do well to raise them yourself and try again the next time. Otherwise she may injure them.

 

[Farmlife16]

A hen being broody is hormone related. It’s usually better to wait and get chicks at or around the time the eggs should hatch. If you don’t let them go through the cycle they may not accept the chicks. At this point you’d probably do well to raise them yourself and try again the next time. Otherwise she may injure the chicks.

So you don't think she's accepted them? She does tidbit them and lets them go under her.

 

[igorsMistress]

So you don't think she's accepted them? She does tidbit them and lets them go under her.

She may but it concerns me that she left them. In my experience broody hens are fiercely protective of their babies. As in a hen who may be a lap chicken under normal circumstances may attack you if she thinks you’re going after her chicks. You can try locking her away with no eggs and leave the babies with her, but there is a risk she’ll hurt them. Then again she may not. You really don’t know until you try.

 

[Mrs. K]

If they are going under her, and she is tidbitting, then she did accept them. She may not be a real aggressive hen toward others. It will probably work. If I was going to separate anyone, it might be the hen that pecked the chicks.

However, if she only did it once, I would not worry about this. If a flock has never had chicks before, other than when they were chicks, they are a little puzzled at first.

I would leave her and the chicks be.

Mrs K

 

[Farmlife16]

If they are going under her, and she is tidbitting, then she did accept them. She may not be a real aggressive hen toward others. It will probably work. If I was going to separate anyone, it might be the hen that pecked the chicks.

However, if she only did it once, I would not worry about this. If a flock has never had chicks before, other than when they were chicks, they are a little puzzled at first.

I would leave her and the chicks be.

Mrs K

Thanks! Since I didn't want to raise them myself, I just let her be and kept a good eye on her. She seems to have transitioned from broody to mama mode and this morning she did not leave the coop without her babies. All is well! Thanks for the advice!

 

[Isadora]

You mentioned she's puffed up and they're following her around right now. Is she talking to them? Good broody Mama's keep up constant chatter to their chicks to tell them where to go and if they found food and stuff.

 

[Mrs. K]

Really just letting her be, is the best thing to do. It can seem a little heartless, but a lot of people cause more problems by intervening.

 

[Farmlife16]

You mentioned she's puffed up and they're following her around right now. Is she talking to them? Good broody Mama's keep up constant chatter to their chicks to tell them where to go and if they found food and stuff.

Yes, she tells when she finds food.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

She's accepted, she just might not be the best mama. The earliest I've slipped chicks under a broody was 2 weeks, and they were pipped eggs their really mama started attacking because she adopted an older, weaned chick instead.

Even then, the adoptive mama was able to talk with them while they were hatching, but her bond was not as solid as it was with her previous litters. I think because they were still early in her nesting cycle