Mixing chicks

[ChickNanny13]

Glad it worked but still check keep a close eye on her in the morning.

 

[GambleFamilyHomestead]

Glad it worked but still check keep a close eye on her in the morning.

Will do!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Keep an eye on them real close good luck I have done the same your right to try

 

[Cryss]

How's mama and babies this morning?

 

[Fishsticks06]

The chicks I think are doing well I put them under her at night in the hutch when I moved them all. She is sitting on them and showing them how to eat it is so fun to watch. This was a good experience and so fun to watch.

Well that’s great! I’m happy that your hen is taking them under her wing. What breed is she? Maybe I can see what breeds are the best with chicks. Anyways, good luck with the birds!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What breed is she? Maybe I can see what breeds are the best with chicks.

No such thing IMO and WAY misrepresented also.

Many will claim Silkies are the best. I say hogwash, they are just the broodiest. And excessive broodiness is NOT the best broody.

One thing is they are more limited in how many eggs or young they can raise. Some are not so bright and never teach chicks to roost. I can go on and and on. They definitely aren't good at protecting babes from predators outside the flock. There is a reason I no longer keep Silkies after breeding and raising them for several years. It the excessive broodiness.

Point is all are individuals and will behave as such.

Had a hatchery Rock raise 9 chicks... she never left not a single one behind when trying to move them somewhere.

My French Marans are plenty broody, do awesome... but more determined at foraging and has let one chick to constantly cold peep and lag behind even though there weren't to many.

Another Marans, saved her chick from a predator. It was scalped but lived happily and tucked under mum so I knew it wasn't her that did it.

Honestly mixing chicks can be done if correctly... but each new broody session can be a different experience. So ya just never know until ya try... though I could give you some pointers on guaranteed failure... Such as wait until the chicks hatch and she takes them out before adding the older ones and then try to give her the older ones mid day but make sure they've never been tucked under her so she doesn't know there voice.. sorry, don't know why I would even put stupid suggestions like that on a page for someone to read and misinterpret.

As mentioned at the beginning of the thread... a mama hen WILL kill chicks... hers or others.. for MANY reasons, whether we think it makes sense or not. Heck, I've raised kids... I can see why some eat their young. And as appalling as it sounds to us... it might be more humane than starvation or whatever else they may have been facing. Some animals will even feed their strongest offspring and allow the weakest to pass. Nature is brutal. We just THINK humans are the worst.

Sounded like integration was going well at last report! Pics always welcome.