Should I introduce chicks to broody hen?

[Jasmin Davies]

Hi I posted not long ago .. I have a broody bantum who spent the last 4 weeks nesting 6 eggs which turned out to be rotten. I just purchased 4x 3 day old chicks today and I would love to sneak them in with her although they are in a brooder at present. I have heard mixed stories about this. Ive heard to leave the chicks in a box for a couple of hours near her before sneaking them under her at night and hoping she takes to them. Ive also heard perhaps introduce just one chick at a time incase it doesn't work out and the chick is neglected overnight. Ive also heard not to try this at all as the hen can cause death if she decides not to take on the chicks and can peak and squash them. I don't want to loose my baby chicks but I figure she must be pretty broody to have stuck it out for so long on eggs that were no good. I just feel so sorry for her after all her hard work, nothing good came of it. Does it all depend on just how broody your hen is to weather she will treat the new chicks as her own? Also as there are no eggs under her at all as of today, will she find is weird there are no eggs but suddenly chicks appear? I only have her plus one other non broody hen who thinks shes a rooster! So hoping my other hen doesn't cause problems with the new chicks although she spends most of her day in the yard. So confusing not knowing what to do!

 

[Fishkeeper]

I don't know about the rest of it, but animals that act on instinct don't know what they're doing. Chickens don't think "if I sit on these eggs long enough, I'll get chicks", they just have programming that tells them to sit on the eggs. She isn't going to think "wait, there weren't any eggs". Nor is she going to be thinking "my eggs went bad after all my work". There's no need to feel bad for her, she doesn't understand anything of what's happened. Chickens are smart, but not that smart.
I wouldn't suggest putting the chicks with her. The potential risks far outweigh any benefits.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... animals that act on instinct don't know what they're doing. Chickens don't think "if I sit on these eggs long enough, I'll get chicks", they just have programming that tells them to sit on the eggs. She isn't going to think "wait, there weren't any eggs". Nor is she going to be thinking "my eggs went bad after all my work". There's no need to feel bad for her, she doesn't understand anything of what's happened....

As an indication that what Fishkeeper said is true, if hens had the ability to reason then Jasmin's bantum would have stood up and walked away from the nest when her eggs failed to hatch after 21 days.

 

[Okiedori]

Hi I posted not long ago .. I have a broody bantum who spent the last 4 weeks nesting 6 eggs which turned out to be rotten. I just purchased 4x 3 day old chicks today and I would love to sneak them in with her although they are in a brooder at present. I have heard mixed stories about this. Ive heard to leave the chicks in a box for a couple of hours near her before sneaking them under her at night and hoping she takes to them. Ive also heard perhaps introduce just one chick at a time incase it doesn't work out and the chick is neglected overnight. Ive also heard not to try this at all as the hen can cause death if she decides not to take on the chicks and can peak and squash them. I don't want to loose my baby chicks but I figure she must be pretty broody to have stuck it out for so long on eggs that were no good. I just feel so sorry for her after all her hard work, nothing good came of it. Does it all depend on just how broody your hen is to weather she will treat the new chicks as her own? Also as there are no eggs under her at all as of today, will she find is weird there are no eggs but suddenly chicks appear? I only have her plus one other non broody hen who thinks shes a rooster! So hoping my other hen doesn't cause problems with the new chicks although she spends most of her day in the yard. So confusing not knowing what to do!

Give it a try! I had a Leghorn that was broody and I had her set on fake eggs until my 35 chicks arrived. She took all 35. Hen raised chicks are great. She keeps them warm and calls them to her. She watched over them and would not let them go outside until they were old enough. She shows them what to eat when they go ranging. So much easier.

 

[Okiedori]

Hi I posted not long ago .. I have a broody bantum who spent the last 4 weeks nesting 6 eggs which turned out to be rotten. I just purchased 4x 3 day old chicks today and I would love to sneak them in with her although they are in a brooder at present. I have heard mixed stories about this. Ive heard to leave the chicks in a box for a couple of hours near her before sneaking them under her at night and hoping she takes to them. Ive also heard perhaps introduce just one chick at a time incase it doesn't work out and the chick is neglected overnight. Ive also heard not to try this at all as the hen can cause death if she decides not to take on the chicks and can peak and squash them. I don't want to loose my baby chicks but I figure she must be pretty broody to have stuck it out for so long on eggs that were no good. I just feel so sorry for her after all her hard work, nothing good came of it. Does it all depend on just how broody your hen is to weather she will treat the new chicks as her own? Also as there are no eggs under her at all as of today, will she find is weird there are no eggs but suddenly chicks appear? I only have her plus one other non broody hen who thinks shes a rooster! So hoping my other hen doesn't cause problems with the new chicks although she spends most of her day in the yard. So confusing not knowing what to do!

Also I would say you will know immediately if she wants them. They will start peeping about being cold and she will call them to her. Hens will sit up a bit to allow chicks to fit.

 

[azygous]

There's always a chance your broody will accept the chicks, and you won't know until you try. But be very careful. Be prepared to snatch the broody up if it appears she's going to go for the kill. You'll know right off. She will become extremely agitated if she doesn't want the chicks.

You will hear some recommend you slip the chicks under her at night. I advise against this. You want to see her reaction in broad daylight, and you want to be at the ready in case things go south.

Don't wait to put the chicks with her. If you wait too long, the chicks may no longer have the instinct to go under her. It cuts both ways. The broody may be coming off her hormones and may be losing the instinct to brood chicks.

Hoping for a successful merger!

 

[Jay E.]

We gave our broody Buff Orpington 3 chic's, and she took to all 3. She had already had 2 other chic's, that she hatched. The 3 are even a couple of weeks younger, than the other 2.

 

[WebFootedLove]

i have a couple hens that are bad moms...they'll hatch babies but then ditch them and leave the babies to die(and i've tried forcing them to care for them by locking them up with their babies but it only works half the time) so its up to me to to either set up a brooder or give the baby or babies to one of my two trustworthy hens who will raise anything and everything and i've had very good luck giving them the ditched babies and them taking over a being great moms to the babies. But all hens are not the same so i would watch a hen you gave babies with a sharp eye