Kind of a stupid question???Maybe??

[chick_newbie]

I have a hatch going in the bator and a broody hen and both are hatching at the same time now....so the question is.....If I put her in the tractor with her chicks can I just add the chicks from the inside hatch to her's??? any ideas on this or has anyone else done this before???

 

[Judy]

I would add the bator chicks -- at night, well after dark, under the hen. If she can cover them all. I think probably the best that can be said is, it will probably work.

 

[carrlr]

Not at all a stupid question. Although Ive never tried this, I know folks who simply slip the incubator chicks under the broody hen. If she's an aggressive broody, you might want to try after dark.

 

[henney penny]

If you do this do it at night when it is dark,put the house chicks under her in the dark and if she is going to acept them you will see in the morning,check early in case she does not.Its very inportant that it is dark so she can`t see what your doing and put them under her so they will stay warm. I have done this with a broody that only had golf balls under her untill the live chicks came in the mail and it worked out great.

 

[chick_newbie]

Great!! I am hoping this will work but my maybe bigger problem is that she is in a nesting box in the coop and I am thinking that maybe we should have moved her already??

 

[Judy]

They don't take well to being moved while they are sitting, for sure. But once the chicks hatch and you have integrated the ones from the bator, it should not be a problem, as she will want to be wherever her chicks are.

Or you could let her raise her chicks in with the flock. It has its dangers, but it has advantages, too. I've done it several times and have not had another hen kill or even harm a chick, knock on wood. Mother hens are pretty protective; mine have not let anyone else get too close. The roosters actually seem to be helpful in raising the chicks. Then when she stops being a mama in a few weeks, the chicks are already accustomed to the pecking order.

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

Yea I aslo say do it at light.

 

[Cadjien_De_Louisiane]

Quote:
I ment night

 

[henney penny]

This is how broody raised hers,after she hatched themI put a dog kennel in the exsisting run then put that plastic fencing around that so noone could get out or in and kept them in there untill I felt that the chicks were old enough to stay with mom,then let them out into the flock this worked great for me.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
I ment night

lol! I'm thinking someone hadn't had their caffeine yet today