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

[K0k0shka]

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.

Glad to hear it worked out well. That was a good choice, especially if there were kids involved. The kids can get so much more hands-on with the chicks if they are in a brooder. Better bonding, better enjoyment, it's all around great. That's what I did this past spring and last year. My kids LOVED the experience. I thought they'd like the mama with the babies as well, but they were completely uninterested. The chicks we raised in the house were "our chicks" as far as the kids were concerned So they handled and bonded with the indoor chicks much better.

 

[Cold-Blood]

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

Agreed. Broodies are the way to go!
Mine hatched and adopted chicks of various ages within the same timeframe.