Please Help… Is it too late to reintroduce adopted chicks to my broody hen?

[thronesandroses]

I have a broody blue production bird that has been broody for about 1 1/2 weeks. She was also super broody last spring so I think she wants to be a mom hen pretty bad.

Today I got 3 one-day old chicks. I tried to introduce them to her at around 3pm and 6pm but both times she was not having it. She was aggressively picking at them and even got up out of the nest and walked away. I put her eggs back under her.

I read that a lot of people do this late at night but I wanted to be able to monitor. Now I want to try again tonight to put them under her but will she just reject them again now that she already “knows” them?

I’m also very nervous to leave them over night / when I wake up in the morning because of how she was treating them. I really want them to have a mom and not have to hand raise them.

Any reasons why it failed? Is it safe to try again tonight?

Thanks all!

 

[sourland]

When they are introduced at night, she has the evening to bond and talk with them. It is necessary to get up early and monitor the situation in the morning. Fostering works really well on experienced hens/and hens that have been setting for almost 21 days. good luck .

 

[thronesandroses]

bump

 

[junior67]

I have a broody blue production bird that has been broody for about 1 1/2 weeks. She was also super broody last spring so I think she wants to be a mom hen pretty bad.

Today I got 3 one-day old chicks. I tried to introduce them to her at around 3pm and 6pm but both times she was not having it. She was aggressively picking at them and even got up out of the nest and walked away. I put her eggs back under her.

I read that a lot of people do this late at night but I wanted to be able to monitor. Now I want to try again tonight to put them under her but will she just reject them again now that she already “knows” them?

I’m also very nervous to leave them over night / when I wake up in the morning because of how she was treating them. I really want them to have a mom and not have to hand raise them.

Any reasons why it failed? Is it safe to try again tonight?

Thanks all!

She may not have been broody long enough to accept them. An egg takes around 21 days to hatch so she has only been broody about half that time. Broody doesn't necessarily mean they want to be a mom. It is more hormone driven. Some broodys just don't make good moms. And some hens even if they are not good moms can be broody a LOT!