Joint Effort with a Broody Momma - successful

[poorartists]

My fellow suburban farmer next door and I are both raising backyard chickens. I for over a year, she is on her third small flock in 6 months or so. One of her older hens went broody. She was very grouchy knocking other chickens out of the coop and trying to sit on their eggs. My friend and I devised a plan to make her happy. We got two fertile eggs from a local elementary school class, that was incubating 24 eggs. We told the kids it was an experiment. We took the grouchy hen to the school in a box and snuck the two warm eggs right under her (no break in time). One maran egg and one California White egg. She immediately sat and kept them warm and wouldn't standup. She was very devoted and happy. The eggs had been warming for 7 days in the incubator. She sat down on these eggs devotedly for the next 14 days and one hatched, the other wasn't going to. A bunch more eggs hatched at the elementary school. My friend was smart and quickly grabbed three more baby chicks and slipped them in with Momma less than 48 hours after they hatched. She quickly adopted the chicks, clucking happily. She taught them how to gather under her. She showed them where to drink water and eat. They love her and she loves them. They are four different breeds and she doesn't notice. Meanwhile we have 8 chicks from the school in a brooder. The chicks with the momma are the same age and are developing much more rapidly and look a lot healthier than the brooder chicks. It has been a great experience for all. And even though the chicks are now 7 days old our momma hen has yet to leave them. She is sitting with them day and night, eating and drinking with them in her nest, and clucking away.

We will post a photo when we figure out how. Thanks for all the great advice on other forums or we wouldn't have attempted this.

Sarah - 4 RIR, 1 LB, 5 LH, 1 WD, 1 RSL, 1 Amer

 

[stonykill]

great!

 

[ragerkid2]

Great Story