Unrelated adult hen adopting chicks?

[jargon777]

Has anyone ever tried to use an unrelated adult hen to "mother" quail chicks? I tried this randomly on a whim with a hen who went broody last year today with two nearly 1wk old chicks and it seemed to go by okay -- they had a supervised "warmup" session the day before and today, and I decided to let them go together overnight.

If you've tried this, how early can you go, and how many can you do, can the hen eventually reject the chicks, and does she still lay eggs? Compared to when she brooded her own chicks she seems less "protective" of them, but that could be because they are already nearly 1wk old.

I generally don't mind using a bator, but I don't really like heat lamps, partly because I have to do it in the basement, so if this reliably works I wouldn't mind doing it this way.

Potato picture but they are in a brooder box... was thinking to put them together outside next week as we have a solid week of 30C+ weather and just have the hen warm them overnight.

 

[Nabiki]

I had a hen that I was going to "retire." She was about two years old. I brought her into the kitchen when the power went out. I had a small hatch (about a dozen) one day old chicks that now didn't have a heat source, so I put this hen in with them. She kind of flattened out and lifted her wings a bit and chicks swarmed under her.

She earned the name Grandma and spent the rest of her life (about a year) mothering new chicks. I would move her out when I move the chicks out but brought her back in when a new batch was hatched.

 

[Nabiki]

Here's a pic I posted of Grandma.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/➡-quail-hatch-along🥚.1276785/post-24238661

 

[jargon777]

I had a hen that I was going to "retire." She was about two years old. I brought her into the kitchen when the power went out. I had a small hatch (about a dozen) one day old chicks that now didn't have a heat source, so I put this hen in with them. She kind of flattened out and lifted her wings a bit and chicks swarmed under her.

She earned the name Grandma and spent the rest of her life (about a year) mothering new chicks. I would move her out when I move the chicks out but brought her back in when a new batch was hatched.

Did you ever lose a chick doing it this way?

 

[Nabiki]

Did you ever lose a chick doing it this way?

Grandma was very good. She took great care of them and I never lost any.