Questions about adopting chicks to broody hen

[happymom99]

I have a broody Cochin and a broody Easter Egger. Neither of them have ever raised chickens. I also have 5 other hens. In a couple of days I am going to give day-olds to the Cochin to hopefully adopt using the sneak-them-under-in-the-dark method.

The Cochin and the EE are totally snuggled up together and have been like this for a few weeks now. I have tried to take my EE out of the coop and put her out in the run with the other hens but she goes straight back to the coop with the Cochin. Also, she is being picked on by one of the other hens now.

Do I need to worry about the EE bothering mama and/or the chicks when the time comes? Should I try harder to get her out of the coop or can I just leave her where she is with the Cochin?

Thank you.

 

[Pork Pie]

I'd be inclined to break the broodiness of the EE. Two broodies together could jeopardise the success of both the Cochin accepting the chicks and their welfare. Alternatively, keep them both broody, but separate. That way, you have two possible mommas in case one refuses to accept the chicks.

 

[azygous]

( Sigh. ) I don't know if your plan has a very high degree of succeeding. Week old chicks are twice the size of newly hatched chicks. Most broodies would be suspicious, and the risk would be she would treat those chicks as intruders and the outcome could be disastrous.

Placing them under a broody at night is risky in itself. I don't understand why people would take the chance on the broody waking up in the light of day and reacting badly. Who would be around to rescue the chicks in this event?

And two broodies, especially novices, is a big unknown in itself. Remember, hormones are involved, making behavior unpredictable. What if they fight over the chicks?

You have so many risks going on in this situation, if you insist on carrying out this plan, you need to whittle them down.

 

[happymom99]

( Sigh. ) I don't know if your plan has a very high degree of succeeding. Week old chicks are twice the size of newly hatched chicks. Most broodies would be suspicious, and the risk would be she would treat those chicks as intruders and the outcome could be disastrous.

Placing them under a broody at night is risky in itself. I don't understand why people would take the chance on the broody waking up in the light of day and reacting badly. Who would be around to rescue the chicks in this event?

And two broodies, especially novices, is a big unknown in itself. Remember, hormones are involved, making behavior unpredictable. What if they fight over the chicks?

You have so many risks going on in this situation, if you insist on carrying out this plan, you need to whittle them down.

 

[happymom99]

They will be newly hatched chicks. Day olds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me the biggest risk to your plan is the age of the chicks. Some broody hens will accept and mother practically any chick but the older they are the less likely a hen is to accept them. Seven days is getting pretty old. Then there is the other side of the coin, the chicks have to accept and imprint on the hen. By seven days they are pretty much past the imprint phase. The hen may be able to bully them into accepting her and obeying her by pecking and bullying them, but the chances of success are not great. You can try it at seven days but I'd certainly want to observe that one and be ready to intervene.

Sometimes two broody hens will work together to hatch and raise chicks. Sometimes they fight over the eggs or chicks, maybe destroying eggs or killing chicks in the process. Or maybe one tries to kill the chicks under the other. You are dealing with living animals, I don't know how your two would react. If it were me I'd break one of them by putting her in a raised cage with a wire floor for three or four days with food and water but nothing that looks like a nest.

I see that first time broody stuff on here a lot. I've had just as good a success with first time broodies as those that have been broody before and even hatched and raised chicks before. I've had problems with broody hens that have successfully hatched and raised chicks before. Some experienced people that I respect on here warn you about that first time broody stuff but that has not been my experience.

I regularly hatch chicks in the incubator and give them to a broody using the in-the-dark method. Sometimes I add them to chicks she just hatched, sometimes it's just the incubator chicks. Whenever you are dealing with living animals and their behavior and someone says that something can happen, you can't argue. With living animals practically anything can possibly happen. I use the in-the-dark method because the vast majority of the time it works so well. Anytime you give chicks to a broody hen there is the chance she won't accept them no matter which method you use. I've tried giving chicks to a hen in the middle of the day too and that usually works but my success rate is better if she wakes up with them. Of course I'm down there pretty early the first morning to se how it is going.

If I were in your position and the youngest chicks I could get were seven-day-olds, I'd break both broody hens and raise them in a brooder myself. I just don't feel comfortable with the odds of you being successful.

Good luck however you decide.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I just saw your last post, day olds. That changes everything. Go for it.

 

[happymom99]

Good to hear! Thanks!

 

[happymom99]

I didn't realize my first post said 7 day olds. Ugh, Typo. I am getting day olds. They will arrive tomorrow or the next day. Super excited!

 

[KJ6485]

I know you will have day olds, but just a side note, 2 times in the last month I successfully placed week olds with broody hens, both in the middle of the day, the hens accepted both times, but it took the chicks a little longer to imprint, so to keep them from running away I placed a high threshold on the coop exit, so they couldn't leave on their own, fed and watered them inside, and within 12-24 hours they were a happy family.