- May 20, 2013
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Last year I raised our own six baby chicks. Each one grew up to adulthood happy and healthy.
This year one of our hens (from those same six) went broody, so I thought - why not? She can raise the chicks this year. We bought baby chicks from the store and stuck them under the mother hen. She accepted them and was very happy. I've heard lots of success stories from other people about doing things this way.
No so! We've been loosing chicks left and right! Today we just lost our last chick. I'm baffled because I've heard so many other success stories. I'm saddened that we lost our whole brood to predators. I was even bringing the mother and babies inside at night and I guess that wasn't enough.
Just curious, where did you have the most success? Raising baby chicks yourself, or having a mother hen raise the chicks?
This year one of our hens (from those same six) went broody, so I thought - why not? She can raise the chicks this year. We bought baby chicks from the store and stuck them under the mother hen. She accepted them and was very happy. I've heard lots of success stories from other people about doing things this way.
No so! We've been loosing chicks left and right! Today we just lost our last chick. I'm baffled because I've heard so many other success stories. I'm saddened that we lost our whole brood to predators. I was even bringing the mother and babies inside at night and I guess that wasn't enough.
Just curious, where did you have the most success? Raising baby chicks yourself, or having a mother hen raise the chicks?
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I have never raised chicks with a hen and mine have always grown up happy, healthy and think I'm their mom! But, hens will naturall raise chicks without a brooder, heat lamp, etc. Plus, the hen will teach the chicks more about being a chicken more than we ever could.
