Pros and Cons of giving your day-old chicks to a broody to raise

[doughouse]

We have an 11-month old barred rock who I'm pretty sure has gone broody (she's in the nesting box a lot, but out and about more than I'd expect from a sitting mother, so I'm not 100% sure. More on that later). We're getting five more chicks from Meyer Hatchery in two weeks, and my family and I are debating the pros and cons of giving the babies to our broody to raise. So far I'm outvoted 3-1 in wanting to let our broody raise them, so I thought I'd gather some more information and seek some advice from more experienced and knowledgeable chicken owners, as we're still pretty new to backyard chickens and this is our first broody hen.

PROS:
From what I've read, it sounds like chicks raised by a mother hen are more active and healthy than brooder chicks, and the mama does all the work of teaching them and integrating them into the flock. Plus we wouldn't have to deal with a big brooder in the mudroom off our kitchen and all the mess and smell and dust that goes with that.

CONS:
I think the biggest con for my family is the concern that the mama hen won't let us pick up and interact with the baby chicks. Picking up the babies and letting them play in our laps was one of the highlights of our first batch of chicks. Our first batch all became lap chickens, and there's concern that the lack of handling them will make it difficult for them to bond with us. Do your experiences bear this out?

It also sounds like sneaking chicks under the mama in the middle of the night is pretty tricky (although Lisa Steele at fresheggsdaily.com says to show the mama the babies as you put them under her, so maybe not). And she may not accept them, which can have very bad consequences for the chicks if you're not able to rescue them fast enough.

Are there other pros/cons I'm not considering?

And what signs should I be looking for to determine if this hen is actually broody and would make a good mother? She's top of the pecking order for our little flock of four, so I assume she wouldn't let anyone mess with her babies, but I'm concerned that (what I perceive to be, at least) her half-hearted sitting might be a sign she's only partially broody, if that's a thing. Maybe she just likes hanging out in the nesting box.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Chicalina]

You can fix her broodyness on the nest if you imprison (lol) her in it and let her hormones do the rest. Make sure she has some fake eggs/golf balls to sit on. Block the entrance or move the nest to a box in a dog crate elsewhere. Let her off once a day for 30 minutes to poop, eat and drink. Do this from now until you get the chicks. Then she will have been sitting for 2 weeks before you swap the eggs for babies, and do this at night. Don't worry about the number of eggs, hens can't count! But make sure it's a good clutchfull.

If you maintain control of her environment, i.e. you can access it easily and she can't take them off to a distant corner of the run, then you can go in and play with the chicks endlessly and socialise them once she is mothering them. Bring treats aplenty for her.

I agree, the stink and dust of an indoor brooder is hell. I now always use a broody.

 

[Ridgerunner]

From what I've read, it sounds like chicks raised by a mother hen are more active and healthy than brooder chicks,

I think that part depends on how you raise them. I feed my chicks dirt from the run twice a week. That way they get any probiotics the other chickens have, they get grit into their system, and they are exposed to anything they need to start working on as far as flock immunities. To me that gets their immune system off to a good start. Don't raise them in a sterile vacuum but expose them to the environment they will live in to have healthy chickens. You can also take them out to the run and let them peck at the ground, just protect them from the other chickens.

and the mama does all the work of teaching them and integrating them into the flock.

Very true.

Plus we wouldn't have to deal with a big brooder in the mudroom off our kitchen and all the mess and smell and dust that goes with that.

Very true.

the mama hen won't let us pick up and interact with the baby chicks.

Broodies are usually very protective of their chicks. Yours may be an exception but I think this is a likely outcome. She will probably protect her chicks. That's what a good broody does.

It also sounds like sneaking chicks under the mama in the middle of the night is pretty tricky

I don't find that to be tricky at all. After it is dark remove any eggs and put the chicks in the nest. I do it a few times every year.

she may not accept them, which can have very bad consequences for the chicks if you're not able to rescue them fast enough.

Mine hardly ever refuse to accept them but it can happen. Be down there first thing when they wake up and see how it is going. I've never lost one to a broody trying that.

And what signs should I be looking for to determine if this hen is actually broody

My test to see if a hen is broody and deserves eggs is that she spends two consecutive nights on the nest. There are a lot of signs that she might be broody but I've seen hens show all those signs and not be worthy of eggs or chicks.

and would make a good mother?

The only way I know is to give her chicks and see what happens. I've never had a broody that failed to take care of her chicks once she accepts them and bonds to them. Some people say they have. I've had as much good luck with first time broody hens as I've had with hens that had been broody before. I've had as many problems with hens that have successfully raised chicks before as I have with first time broody hens. Each time is unique. My successes have greatly outnumbered the problems.

You can probably train them to be lap chickens after the broody hen weans them but it will take work. It will be harder. I think your decision comes down to how badly you want the kids to play with them and how much you don't want them in your mud room.

 

[Mountain Roost]

If you are concerned about her abandoning the chicks make sure there is a heat lamp in their enclosure with them. Keep her penned up with them in a darkish and cozy enclosure and she may come around after hearing their little peeps of need.

Signs of broody include "turkey tail" feather fluffing and biting/pecking your hand when you reach into the nest box. And very talkative and large broody poops.

As other said you may not get to have lap chickens if you let the broody raise them but they will know the ropes better around the chicken yard.

 

[SegiDream]

Are there other pros/cons I'm not considering?

Cons for using a broody hen: Even in an enclosed run, chicks are vulnerable to predators likes snakes or rats and vulnerable to accidents and pecking order issues. Plus sometimes you have to separate mama hen and the babies anyways.

Most chicks I've ever had were raised by a mama hen. It's easier and it's convenient etc, mama hen does the hard work. But if you have a small flock and it's crucial that every chick survive I'd go with a brooder in the house, that's just my opinion on it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

We have an 11-month old barred rock who I'm pretty sure has gone broody (she's in the nesting box a lot, but out and about more than I'd expect from a sitting mother, so I'm not 100% sure. More on that later). We're getting five more chicks from Meyer Hatchery in two weeks, and my family and I are debating the pros and cons of giving the babies to our broody to raise. So far I'm outvoted 3-1 in wanting to let our broody raise them, so I thought I'd gather some more information and seek some advice from more experienced and knowledgeable chicken owners, as we're still pretty new to backyard chickens and this is our first broody hen.

PROS:
From what I've read, it sounds like chicks raised by a mother hen are more active and healthy than brooder chicks, and the mama does all the work of teaching them and integrating them into the flock. Plus we wouldn't have to deal with a big brooder in the mudroom off our kitchen and all the mess and smell and dust that goes with that.

CONS:
I think the biggest con for my family is the concern that the mama hen won't let us pick up and interact with the baby chicks. Picking up the babies and letting them play in our laps was one of the highlights of our first batch of chicks. Our first batch all became lap chickens, and there's concern that the lack of handling them will make it difficult for them to bond with us. Do your experiences bear this out?

It also sounds like sneaking chicks under the mama in the middle of the night is pretty tricky (although Lisa Steele at fresheggsdaily.com says to show the mama the babies as you put them under her, so maybe not). And she may not accept them, which can have very bad consequences for the chicks if you're not able to rescue them fast enough.

Are there other pros/cons I'm not considering?

And what signs should I be looking for to determine if this hen is actually broody and would make a good mother? She's top of the pecking order for our little flock of four, so I assume she wouldn't let anyone mess with her babies, but I'm concerned that (what I perceive to be, at least) her half-hearted sitting might be a sign she's only partially broody, if that's a thing. Maybe she just likes hanging out in the nesting box.

Thanks in advance!

I'm curious how this turned out for you?

I have 6 chicks that just hatched from the incubator. I put 2 of them with a broody who has been sitting on eggs (unsuccessfully) for almost 4 weeks. I'm not sure why hers did not hatch because they are fertilized. Anyway, I slipped two chicks under her around midnight last night. I stuck around for well over a half hour just observing her. She seemed very surprised by something moving around under her and kept looking at them, but she didn't attack them. I have checked on her twice today. She still has the chicks under her... I would think if she was going to reject them, she would have done it by now, right?

I'm keeping the other chicks in a brooder in the house for now.

 

[K0k0shka]

I was just gearing up to respond when I saw that this thread is actually pretty old. Also wondering how this turned out.

For anybody else in a similar situation reading this: don't expect lap chicks from a broody. If you want lap chickens, raise them yourself. It's very hard to get that kind of attachment from chicks that already have a mother, even if she's not overprotective and lets you handle them. Her letting you handle them doesn't automatically translate into THEM wanting to be handled! Very likely they'll run from you regardless. My broody from this past spring was super nice to me and let me do whatever I wanted with her and the chicks, she'd even hop up to my lap and call them over, trying to show them that I'm safe, but they'd have none of it. I was there every day interacting with their mom and trying to befriend them with treats and attention, but they never warmed up to me. They were incredibly skittish and would run for their lives if I approached. Incredibly dissatisfying if you want lap chickens. I wasn't going to keep this particular batch anyway, so whatever. I also hatched a bunch of eggs for myself at the same time, and hand raised them in a brooder with the express purpose of turning them into lap chickens. They are 3 months old now and they LOVE me! They snuggle in my lap and under my armpit and take naps in my arms. I rehomed their brothers 2 months ago and recently went to visit - they hadn't seen me in 2 months, but they flew at me when I walked in and perched on my arms! And sat down and got comfy! The broody-raised chicks were rehomed to the same place, and while the boys that I hand-raised for 1 month were crawling all over me, the broody's chicks would keep a minimum of 5 feet distance from me.

So there's that. I'm not wasting my time on broody-raised chicks if I want pet chickens. None of the pros make enough of a difference to be worth it to me. "More active and healthy" - that's relative and not necessarily true. My brooder-raised chicks were actually more alert, curious and independent than the broody's chicks. Her chicks were glued to her butt 24/7 instead of finding their own way in the world. Very very needy. Maybe she babied them for too long, who knows. Ultimately none of that mattered, they're all 3 months old right now and healthy.

Brooding indoors isn't a nightmare for me at all. In fact, I enjoy it every time and will keep doing it whenever I want more pet chickens. Your setup can really help. I have my brooder in the upstairs hallway by the bedrooms and have had no smell problems. I use sand as the bedding and scoop it daily. I have an air filter next to the brooder, so dust isn't a big deal at all. I love having chicks in the house!

The only downside to brooder-raised chicks for me is that integration with the flock requires more work, but my flock is very tolerant and has accepted a couple batches of chicks just fine so far, so even that isn't a big deal. So, for pet chickens I would definitely recommend brooding them yourself. The only time I can see myself letting a broody raise chicks is when I want them for meat. Which I do, at some point. Then I won't care that they aren't lap material.

 

[yakitori]

I’ll come in with my experience too. I managed to get fairly people friendly chicks at the end of 1 month. They could be held for extended periods of time, and didn’t protest at being held. Do they enjoy being held? I don’t know, but they were happy to climb all over me. I think the reason it worked for me was...

1. the broody was friendly enough towards me that she lets me handle the chicks without getting anxious.

2. I interacted with them while indoors. My broody fam spent their days outside in the run and nights inside the house. My broody was always nervous and on alert outside, but extremely calm inside. Her chicks will then allow themselves to be handled in any way I liked. I reserved a nightly treats hangout with the fam and eventually was pretty much a roost for the chicks.

I can’t say this is what will work for you, but it is definitely possible, and may require a semi brooder set up indoors...

I have more videos on my channel showing my indoor interactions with the broody chicks. Outdoors, I always picked them up from underneath, while in a crouching position so as not to spook them. Inside, it didn't matter as much...

here’s a video of their willingness to be handled at 2 weeks

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've given chicks to a broody twice this year. Both times I've expected that they would not be tame lap chickens as a result. I had 6 chicks in this last hatch. I gave 2 the broody, kept 3 to hand-raise. (One is sick and may not make it.)

As for my post, I was wondering what cues or time period would suggest that the broody is accepting of the chicks and won't murder them. I'm anxious about this because I've had a handful of broodies this summer. I was all excited about them hatching out their own eggs and then I started finding dead bodies (newborn chicks) in the coop. I have no idea exactly how these chicks are dying. I SUSPECT that I have an egg eater who is killing them but I don't know for sure. I also had a couple chicks that were pecked to death after a day or two. But this only seems to be happening with chicks from eggs the broodies hatched. The store-bought chicks I put under 2 broodies earlier this summer were raised just fine. So far, same with the 2 chicks that hatched in the incubator and put under the broody 2 days ago.

 

[doughouse]

I'm curious how this turned out for you?

Well, I continued to be outvoted, so we went the brooder route. Part of the reason we decided to have a small backyard flock in the first place was so the kids could watch and enjoy the babies when they're little, so we had to break our poor broody. They're all integrated together now, and I sometimes watch my barred rock interact with the little pullets and think, "those could have been your babies!"

Ah well. Maybe next time.