Is this common with hens?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Cute, now you get to watch her be a mama

 

[mmmyyykkkeee]

Give it a couple of days before you toss the eggs. 

X2

If the chicks hatch, will the momma hen take them? Or they need to be raised separately?

 

[mmmyyykkkeee]

Here are the chicks! [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR]

Btw, congrats on your newly hatched babies. They arw so cute. I've been following your thread since yesterday.

 

[junebuggena]

The mom should accept any chicks that hatch within 72 hours of the first hatch.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If in the next day maybe after that I wouldn't think so, you could try, and watch, but I would raise separately

 

[mmmyyykkkeee]

Maybe she can try to put the baby chicks at night? I read some people do that and they had no problem.

 

[PattiS72]

The mom should accept any chicks that hatch within 72 hours of the first hatch.

even though I brought them in and put them in the incubator?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

In my experience once they leave the nest they won't accept anymore, some might, but it's more likely she won't, chickens aren't dumb, they know how many chicks they have and what they sound like, now another broody may take them

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

another thing I should add is the hen and chicks in the egg communicate before hatch, you should have notice your hen talking to the eggs, this is so when they hatch they already know each other, a few days out and neither chick or hen had this experience, I would try to put them in there, but not at night, I'd add them when I could stay and watch for a long while, and check frequently, if she does not accept them she may kill them, that's why I wouldn't do it at night.

 

[PattiS72]

Well, Mama Hen has her babies out in the coop today. The rooster chased her back into the nest house but she came back out.
The one that's smaller looks like it's feathers dried hard and one eye wasn't open when I looked more closely.