Who lets a broody raise their meaties?

[KYChixMama]

Considering trying this next time instead of the usual brooder/grow pen/etc. Any input?

 

[krcote]

I think they would grow to fast for the mother hen to do much raising?

 

[Beekissed]

I did it last year with one of my broody White Rock hens, who helped me raise 20 CX chicks. You can find an entire thread on their progress from start to finish in this section. It was an interesting experiment and one I wouldn't hesitate to repeat as the outcome was so satisfactory.

 

[Buster52]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=325493

Here ya go.

 

[wheresmypeeps]

Haha... sounds like a nice plan. We have a female dog for whom that type of 'nurse'/sub mama role was very much to her natural liking. She was from our dogs' first batch of pups (miniature schnauzers) and helped mama raise all of the subsequent batches, very much to her delight and her mama's relief. Now she has her eyes on our chicks... I think if we let her and them out in the yard together she would mother them up good!

(See my images/pics for a shot of her guarding their 'cage'.) Pretty sweet, actually. They figured her out and now she has to keep her nose back a bit from the cage or one will peck her on the nose!

 

[KYChixMama]

Quote:
Awesome thread - that is exactly what I had hoped to expect. I think I'll let the next group we raise go with a broody.

 

[Farmer_Dan]

I did it last year too, was awesome. I'll do it again in a heartbeat.