Putting chicks under a broody hen

[kari_dawn]

yay!!!! We need pictures!

 

[LAChickens]

I have a broody black Cochin, she's been setting a dozen eggs for about a week. I have chicks arriving between the 4-6th of June which would be about mid-way through her setting—days 11-12. I'd love to give her some of the new chicks to raise for me, instead of running them under a warming light. I know every bird is different, and ever experience is different, but generally, would it be crazy for me to try even slipping a few babies under her so soon into her setting? I'd do it at night and one chick first, then a couple over time...thoughts?

 

[LTygress]

This past weekend, my fourth bantam mixed-breed hen went broody.

Three days ago I had 10 chicks hatch under a different broody bantam. They were both bantams and large fowl chicks, but every last one of them hatched.

Yesterday they left the nest for the first time. No big deal. Except they took to EVERY OTHER HEN that was sitting on eggs when they left the original nest. I went out today and all four hens had chicks - INCLUDING the one that just went broody this past weekend. Of course, most of their eggs aren't due to hatch for a little while. But all four of these hens accepted the chicks climbing on them, and one of them even allowed a chick to peck her EYEBALL several times before simply turning her head from him. They never pecked on them, they never attacked them, or pushed them out.

Also today, the second hen that went broody had three of her own hatch. She hasn't left the nest, but the slightly-older chicks have been climbing all over her anyway. But she hasn't done anything to them - even to protect her own new-hatches. She just lets them run and play all in her nest with no problems.

It's like hen day-care over there. They are all caring for whoever wanders into their nest!

 

[LAChickens]

LTygres, That would be terrific. Fingers crossed. I have three, (probably four) broody hens currently and I'd love for them to take the reins in raising the new chicks I'm receiving from the hatchery next week. I'd really, really, prefer not to run a light and have to do this myself. Plus, Mama hens are so much better at knowing what is okay for chicks and what is not. Good to know that communal chick rearing has worked for you. Thanks for sharing!

 

[LTygress]

Just be careful with it, and make sure all of the eggs they are sitting on are due around the same time - assuming they are sitting on real eggs, and you're not just waiting for the chicks to hatch.

I still have one sitting on eggs that are hatching now, and I was supposed to have two sitting on eggs with no activity yet (due to hatch tomorrow, but no pips or babies yet). But it looks like one of the "idle" hens has now abandoned her nest to care for the little babies that are almost a week old now. I picked her eggs up this morning and put them in the incubator. Once they hatch, I'll just put them right back under her with the rest of them.

So the week of difference in hatch-time caused a broody to abandon her eggs, thinking all of her chicks were done hatching (when in reality, the chicks belonged to a different hen).

 

[lenfrack]

Hello, I am not an expert on chickens, but I have had little bantam chickens for 25 years. We have often bought reds and buffs day old peeps home and stuck them under broody hens. It has never failed us yet. just tonight we stuck 5 day old buffs under one broody hen to great results. But, just one week ago we stopped pulling eggs from under her. This is one of dozens of time this has worked for us. With that being said we never have had large egg laying chickens that we thought we would try this. For some reason the small bantams are VERY broody. Works every time.

 

[tgerl]

I have a hen that just hatched out 3 checks on her own(4 days old). I have incubator eggs due to hatch tomorrow... Could I put the chicks from the incubator under her? Will she accept them?

 

[song of joy]

Be aware that this does not always have a happy ending. I tried this last night, putting day-old hatchery chicks under a broody buff orpington that had been sitting on infertile eggs for 2 weeks. She pecked 2 chicks to the point I had to put them down. I had to rescue the other 3 who were huddling on the far side of the coop to stay away from her.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Remudamom - I have a question - has your Silkie been able to take care of all those chicks? Everything I have read says that a bantam cannot manage more than 3 standard-sized chicks. I would like to know if that is not the case.

As I posted elsewhere here today, I was just told that you can't give chicks to a broody who has been setting less than 3 weeks. It sounds like yours had been setting for maybe two weeks or so? I have a broody Belgian Mille Fleur d'Uccle and a tight timeline and I REALLY want to give her chicks but she has only been broody a few days so it seems I will need to wait - I just am not sure for how long.

I gave chicks to an extremely broody Buff Orpington a few years ago and she was absolutely brilliant! Slipped them under her at 4 am and by 7 am she was mothering the heck out of them. She was the best! If I do get chicks, at least one has to be a BO because I need a full-size broody for future flock growth.

 

[tgerl]

I had great success with my Orpington... I was able to put a newly incubated chick under her even though there was a week difference between hers that she hatched out and that one. No pecking at all and just took to the new one like it was hers. The other chicks accepted it as well...