I'm new here, but I have been enjoying and learning from this thread. I have only had chickens for about a year, so when I had four hens go broody in the last month, I really didn't know what to do/expect. I've never even hatched chicks in an incubator. This thread has really been helpful. I see there have been some recent questions/discussions about grafting chicks, so I thought I would share my recent experience with this. I'll try to provide some history to explain my situation. Hope the post isn't too long!
Three of my hens decided to go broody in nest boxes in their coop, and one has a hidden nest under our shed. Two of them in the coop hatched two chicks each on Wednesday of this week. The third hen in the coop wasn't so successful. She was setting in one of the favorite nest boxes, and I finally figured out that the non broody hens have been running her out regularly to lay their eggs. (Next time I will know to separate them once they go broody). I moved her on Wednesday night to a dog kennel inside the coop. She seemed satisfied so the next morning I left the door open on the dog kennel so that she could get access to food and water and could go to the bathroom. I came home a few hours later to check on her and there was one dead chick in the dog kennel (didn't look like her fault, maybe unsuccessful hatch due to the eggs getting cooled off and on?) and she had left the rest of the eggs (they were cold) and moved back to her original setting spot (with one new egg under her). I had to go to
Tractor Supply to get feed anyway so I decided I would buy her some chicks if they had any. Lucky for me (or not!) they had a new shipment of chicks in, so I bought six of them. Got home with them and put them in the brooder to wait for the night to graft them to her. Went to pick up the kids from school, and when I got back to the house, my poor unsuccessful broody hen was out with the rest of the flock. Watched her all afternoon, and she had definitely broken her broody! So I decided to try to graft the chicks to my two broodys with chicks. I waited until night, and my daughter and I slipped three chicks under each of the two broody hens. This morning, when I went to check on them, I found one hen (an 8 month old Black Cooper Marans) happily taking care of her newly grafted chicks with her two hatched chicks, but the other broody (a cochin) had left her three new chicks in their box and was out with her two original chicks. I thought maybe the grafted chicks were just confused so I took one out and put it next to the Cochin. She immediately started pecking it, so I got them out of there in a hurry. I thought I would wait until night and try to graft them to the BCM, but after watching her all morning with her chicks, I decided to try to give her one about noon today. She started clucking to the chick as soon as she heard it cheeping. She took it in with no problems. I put the other two in and watched her with them off and on all afternoon. She did great! I checked on them right before dark, and she had all eight of her chicks underneath her. So I've had one successful (hope I'm not speaking too soon) and one unsuccessful attempt at grafting. I think it must really depend on the hen. It surprised me that the Cochin wouldn't accept the other chicks, as she seemed to be the most attentive mother at first.
My fourth broody is still under the shed. I can't reach her nest, so she will have to stay there until she either hatches chicks or decides to give up and come out. I've caught her a couple of times making her daily trek to the coop for feed and water. I hate to leave her out of the coop at night, but she really isn't leaving me much choice. When she first disappeared, I was sure she was dead. I didn't see her for about a week later, when she suddenly appeared in the coop.
I know I've probably done most all of this the wrong way, but wanted to share my experiences in case it helps someone else. I was really scared to try grafting, but thank goodness it seems to have worked out okay. Thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences on this thread!
