Should i use my new broody hen to hatch some serama eggs?

[Chickenaddict]

I have been going back and forth all night on whether or not to let my cochin/jap hen hatch some serama eggs for me. If i do so that would mean fuzzy butts in the house over winter and a hard adjustment putting her back into the flock when she is done with her babies. I really want to hatch some of these serama eggs but at the same time its such a chore taking care of the babies. I already have a quad of seramas living in my office and also have a brooder in there for when they hatch their own eggs. I went out to the coop yesturday to check on my hen who had been MIA all day and found her laying an egg, later in the evening i went out to the coop to lock them up for the night and found her broody in her nesting box. She is pretty young yet and i am not sure if she would make a good mother or not she is about 5 months old. What would you do?

How can i say no to a face like that....

 

[kinnip]

Whatever the chicken the tells me to do.

 

[Chickenaddict]

LOL, Just when i thought it was safe to NOT buy chick starter.... Here we go again!

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

She dosent look too big, but will she take chicks if she hasnt been broody for long? I hear that you should give her some eggs and should sneak them under her at night. So she thinks OH MY EGGS HATCHED.
I also have a friend with a med. sized hen that didnt recognize the chicks at hers and tried to kill them. The seramas were too small I guess.
Good LUCK!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have 2 hens with chicks right now, that have taken every baby that I have given them. One hatched only 4 herself, and now has 18. The other hatched 6, and now has 13. That one is a young hen as well, maybe 8 months old at most. This is her first brood, and she is doing great!! Just set some dummy eggs or golf balls under your hen a few days, to make sure she is really going to set. Then let her do the rest. If you have a wind proofed, or heated coop, you could put mama and babies in a cage inside the coop, then you wouldn't have to take care of anything. then come spring, those babies will be ready to lay...provided they aren't all roos!!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
She took it upon herself to grab the eggs and gently tuck them under her without me forcing her to do so. If she does "turn" on the chicks she will be taken out of the picture and i will just have to add a heat lamp and raise them myself. I will give her the benefit of the doubt at this point.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
I have her in the house in the serama room in her own brooding box. I set 5 eggs under her 3 days ago and she hasn't got off the nest once but she did reject 2 out of the 5 eggs so i took those out and threw them away. I just won a bid on eggbid for 6+more serama eggs that should be here in a few days. I will take the eggs she is setting on and put the "fresh eggs" under her. Im afraid if i have a staggered hatch she will turn on the babies. This is my first attempt at hatching seramas and i am prepared for anything that may come up. I hope she will be an excellent mother. It sure would cut costs on heating the brooder box. Boy i sure hope they aren't all roos i have had bad luck this year letting my girls hatch their own eggs and having 75% end up roos.