Thinking of adding new chicks to my 1 yr old flock of 4 chickens

[Curious1234]

I currently have 4 chickens and they are about 1year and 2 months old.

I want to add 2 more to this flock and am wondering what the best age to integrate them into the flock would be. Is it possible to give a few chicks to a broody hen and she might take care of them? I have no idea how this works and any advice would be appreciated.

 

[TimBaumann]

Just giving chicks to a broody is a risky thing to do. If you're VERY lucky she will take care of them but a lot of the time she will not recognize them as their own and kill them. I'd say the best would be to either let a hen hatch some fertile eggs (if you can get fertile eggs) or get some chicks, let them grow big enough in a brooder and slowly integrate them into the flock. They should definitely be almost fully grown so they can protect themselves and they should be separated by a fence from the rest of the flock so that they can see each other but can't get to each other.
Good luck with your chicken

 

[donrae]

Adding chicks to a broody can be done, but the timing has to be right. She had to have brooded fake or eggs or something for close to three weeks (they can't tell time so 21 days exact isn't necessary) and the chicks really need to be day old, no more than 2 days for best results. Don't order chicks hoping for a hen to go broody, that won't work. It's just easiest to plan on either brooding the chicks and raising them separate until around 12-16 weeks, or buying pullets that are that old and adding them to the older girls.

 

[CowGrrrl]

Just giving chicks to a broody is a risky thing to do. If you're VERY lucky she will take care of them but a lot of the time she will not recognize them as their own and kill them. I'd say the best would be to either let a hen hatch some fertile eggs (if you can get fertile eggs) or get some chicks, let them grow big enough in a brooder and slowly integrate them into the flock. They should definitely be almost fully grown so they can protect themselves and they should be separated by a fence from the rest of the flock so that they can see each other but can't get to each other.
Good luck with your chicken

Agreed.