Stop A Long Time Broody, or let her addopt

LittleWhiteDove

Songster
Oct 22, 2016
101
15
101
Hedley British Columbia
Hello,
I have a black silkie hen who has been broody for over a month now. She get up to eat and scratch around a bit when its warm then she is right back to sitting. I am starting to get worried about her. I gave her eggs but it was cold when she got off the nest to get some food so the eggs didn't make it, Should I set up a cage and try to stop her from going broody or should I see if she will adopt the 7 silkie chicks I have. The Chicks are a month old now. If I have her adopt the chicks how should i go about the process as its new to me
 
Well, month old chicks are quite old to try to get a broody hen to adopt. Don't get me wrong, I would love to say "let her adopt some chicks", but it is almost impossible to get hens to adopt even when the chicks are only one week old. Unless you are able to find day old chicks somehwhere at a feed store soon, I would say put her in a cage until she stops sitting. However, I did have a Cochin bantam one time who was broody for four months. She was a living incubator, but we always raised the chicks for her.
 
In order to successfully foster chicks to a broody, the broody must imprint to the chicks, and the chicks must imprint to her. The window for that to occur is supposedly the first 48 hours after hatch. By the time most babies are 4 weeks old, Mama is ready to kick them to the curb, though some broodies to continue to tend their babies for a few more weeks. All that being said, you have the chicks, you have the broody. Perhaps you could introduce them, and see what she does. If you can't give her new chicks, and she does not foster these older chicks, the humane thing to do is break her. It's not good for a hen's health to be broody for much longer than the standard 3 week incubation period.
 
In order to successfully foster chicks to a broody, the broody must imprint to the chicks, and the chicks must imprint to her.  The window for that to occur is supposedly the first 48 hours after hatch.  By the time most babies are 4 weeks old, Mama is ready to kick them to the curb, though some broodies to continue to tend their babies for a few more weeks.  All that being said, you have the chicks, you have the broody.  Perhaps you could introduce them, and see what she does.  If you can't give her new chicks, and she does not foster these older chicks, the humane thing to do is break her.  It's not good for a hen's health to be broody for much longer than the standard 3 week incubation period.


Lazy Gardener is right. You could introduce them, but it may be too late to do much good. Also, it may be unhealthy for her to continue brooding.
 

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