Sneaking Chicks Under Broody Hen

[khpadventures]

So, I have three chicks due to hatch tomorrow, and coincidentally their mama went broody yesterday...is it a recipie for disaster to try to sneak them under her when they are a day old, her 3rd broody day?

This is her third time going broody this year, she sat for 21 days plus on both past clutches with no success, which is why I pulled them for incubating. She has never raised chicks before, so this would be her first time.

How does one go about sneaking chicks in, if it seems like a good idea to try?

 

[khpadventures]

I should also add, this is a totally weird staggered hatch I have going on right now...3 are due tomorrow and then one each day until we get to 12. We had a fox incident and lost our rooster, so I was desperate to hatch some of his babies and was too worried about trying to store them in the summer heat! So I just popped each one into the incubator as it was laid. Im moving them into a 2nd incubator for lock down. Weird I know..but grief makes you do funny things sometimes...

 

[khpadventures]

I should also add, this is a totally weird staggered hatch I have going on right now...3 are due tomorrow and then one each day until we get to 12. We had a fox incident and lost our rooster, so I was desperate to hatch some of his babies and was too worried about trying to store them in the summer heat! So I just popped each one into the incubator as it was laid. Im moving them into a 2nd incubator for lock down. Weird I know..but grief makes you do funny things sometimes...

......and why I added that is that I could wait and give her some of the later hatching ones, but it would have to be like a day old chick and one that hatched that same day....not sure how old is too old to try to sneak under there. Im assuming I can't just add a chick each night

 

[JesseR89]

Just reading your post as I am in a similar predicament. I see no one struck a conversation so I’m curious, how did it pan out for you?

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

I wish i had seen this earlier I would have told you not to put them under her. She will most likely kill them all. Please tell what you did and what happened. I am curious to know!