I have two cochins that have been broody for 3 weeks. I do not have a rooster. Would like to try to have them accept some day old cochin chicks that I will be purchasing tomorrow. Will it work? What is the best way to do it? Do I need to section the hens and chicks off from the other 4 chickens that I have?
I think your best chance for success, would be to put them under the hens at night. I did this last year with my broody EE. I decided to put the chick under the hen just before sunrise, so I could monitor the interaction and make sure the hen accepted the chick. Everything went well the one time I tried it. Cochins are known to be good mothers, so you have a good chance that at least one of them will accept the chicks. Good luck!