I have some chicks that hatched today and I want to put them under my broody hen. She has been broody for three days and this is her first time being broody. Do you think it will be OK to sneak these chicks under her tonight? And do you have any tips?
Usually, you want your broody to have been sitting for longer than s few days since it takes 3weeks to hatch an egg, I’ve seen other BYCers recommend them to be sitting for a couple weeks. Since you have chicks, you could try now or hold back for a few days and try then. The biggest risk is that she doesnt accept them and kills them. We bought 5-day old chicks at a hatchery (from the bargain bin) to give to a broody. She was young, only 7 months old. She had been broody for approx 3weeks. We gave her the 5-day old chicks at night (in the dark), and she accepted them. This has been our only broody experience, so good luck with your broody.
I just had 2 out of 3 broodys kill their own chicks! Just be super careful. I usually wait at least a week with a broody to make sure she will stay. Its very risky in my opinion, you'd be safer with a light.
I was also told to wait two to three weeks, but my hen was super broody, and had been broody several times this year. We only waited one week and she accepted the 2 day old chicks with no problem! Did a bunch of research and made sure we did it in complete darkness and quiet.