Will a broody adopt chicks she didn't hatch?

[mickeygirl217]

I have a broody sitting on a clutch of eggs right now, we're expecting them to hatch around the 21st. The problem is that we have 1 rooster and 15 hens. He's really good about all his rooster duties except he doesn't seem to mate very often so we aren't expecting a large hatch rate. I'm wondering if as soon as the few start hatching if I run to the feed store and grab a couple more chicks can I put them under her that evening and will she accept them as her own? The chicks at the feed store would probably a couple days old so a few days older than the chicks she hatches.

Thank you!

 

[Omran]

some times it works some times it doesn't, so I would try that but make sure you get really 1 day old chicks, because she will know if they were a week old or so.

 

[TexasVet]

That's exactly what I did, and she accepted them just fine. I was sure to slip them under her at night, because in the daylight they're not so easily fooled!

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[PunkinPeep]

I wonder if she got up the next morning counted her chicks and thought "dang, i'm good!"