Slipping chicks under broody

[Mamatomany123]

I have a hen who's gone broody. She's been sitting on her nest of 4 ceramic eggs for 20 days. Maybe a little longer but I didn't start counting until she was sitting most of the day. I have 4 chicks that I just picked up that are 1 day old. Plan is to slip them under her tonight in the dark. What else should I do to make this successful? I have her in separated and she's been separated since the day I counted as day 1. Waterer and feeder are set up. Her belly is plucked. I just don't want to end up with dead babies.

 

[Mrs. K]

This has to be a two way street, not only does she have to take the chicks, but the chicks have to take her.

I have done this numerous times and have very good luck with it. You need to do it in the dark. About an hour after dark, things are pretty calm in the chicken house then. You need to make sure the chicks have a drink of water. Then about half an hour before you are slipping them, take them off heat. It won't kill them. You want them a bit chilled and peeping madly.

A cold chick should be peeping a lot, a distressing sound, the broody hen needs to hear this, and the chick needs to be uncomfortably cold. Then you stick that peeping chick into that warm place under the mama, and chick is going to burrow in and stick like a tick to this very good place. It will almost immediately get silent. The chicks have gone to sleep. The broody hen will cluck to them. They will associate that sound, smell and warmth as a good place and follow it. By morning, the chicks will smell like her.

That burrowing movement, the peeping sound is what flips off the hormones to brood into active mother hood.

Often times, with the best intentions, people drop active warm chicks in front of a broody hen, who then pecks them, those are not my chicks. They blame the broody hen when really if the chick had suddenly appeared from underneath her...well when she hatches, that is what happens.

Mrs K

 

[Mamatomany123]

This has to be a two way street, not only does she have to take the chicks, but the chicks have to take her.

I have done this numerous times and have very good luck with it. You need to do it in the dark. About an hour after dark, things are pretty calm in the chicken house then. You need to make sure the chicks have a drink of water. Then about half an hour before you are slipping them, take them off heat. It won't kill them. You want them a bit chilled and peeping madly.

A cold chick should be peeping a lot, a distressing sound, the broody hen needs to hear this, and the chick needs to be uncomfortably cold. Then you stick that peeping chick into that warm place under the mama, and chick is going to burrow in and stick like a tick to this very good place. It will almost immediately get silent. The chicks have gone to sleep. The broody hen will cluck to them. They will associate that sound, smell and warmth as a good place and follow it. By morning, the chicks will smell like her.

That burrowing movement, the peeping sound is what flips off the hormones to brood into active mother hood.

Often times, with the best intentions, people drop active warm chicks in front of a broody hen, who then pecks them, those are not my chicks. They blame the broody hen when really if the chick had suddenly appeared from underneath her...well when she hatches, that is what happens.

Mrs K

Good to know about the heat. I currently have them with food and water inside under a heat lamp until it gets dark. For these past 20 days I've been watching YouTube videos and reading, reading, and reading to make sure I do this right. Fingers crossed she accepts them. I should get up first thing to make sure correct?

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes, but I would not worry, I would expect it to be fine.

I would get her back with the flock within the week. I don't separate mine. She routinely goes out and whips everyone into shape, and when she brings out her chicks, they leave them alone. But a lot of people on here do separate them.

The problem is they tend to want to put them all back into one flock when the chicks are 4 weeks old. The broody hormones have dropped, she is forgetting her chicks, the hen is a stranger, and it is a colossal wreck.

Where as if you put them in soon, the homones are high, she is highly protective of the chicks.

Mrs K

 

[Mamatomany123]

Yes, but I would not worry, I would expect it to be fine.

I would get her back with the flock within the week. I don't separate mine. She routinely goes out and whips everyone into shape, and when she brings out her chicks, they leave them alone. But a lot of people on here do separate them.

The problem is they tend to want to put them all back into one flock when the chicks are 4 weeks old. The broody hormones have dropped, she is forgetting her chicks, the hen is a stranger, and it is a colossal wreck.

Where as if you put them in soon, the homones are high, she is highly protective of the chicks.

Mrs K

I currently just have her in the chick brooder that I have in the coop. She was brooding in the nesting box and kept getting kicked out because of course she chose the favorite box. I figured putting her there would give her a little more peace. I can open it up once I know she's accepted the chicks. Here's the setup I have her in. This is an older pick from my last batch of chicks. It's been closed back up since then

 

[Mamatomany123]

Well that was an epic fail. I got 1 under her. She was doing fine but not making much noise. Tried to put another under her and she started attacking them and me.

 

[Mrs. K]

Too much light? How dark was it? Put them in there while covering her head. She really should not have anything visible to attack.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Too much light? How dark was it? Put them in there while covering her head. She really should not have anything visible to attack.

I didn't have any light on until I realized what was happening. She pulled them out from under her and started throwing them. Once I realized what was happening I turned on my phone light so I could grab them and that's when she started biting me.

 

[Mrs. K]

wow - I have never had it fail.