Will a broody except older chicks

[Apis mellifera]

I lost a hen last night to a predator and her 4 chicks are fine. The chicks are about 4 weeks old and I was considering putting them under a grumpy broody hen that has no eggs after dark. I also have a hen with older chicks too. Which would be better? Or should I just not even bother, they seem fine.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The issue is not just her acceptance of them but theirs of her. At 4 weeks they are near the weaning age already.

I would not try it.

The oldest chicks I have ever placed with a mom were 5 days old. It took them 3 days to FINALLY listen to her. She is an awesome mom and would accept a rock if I asked her to. Not all are that way.

The younger the chicks the more likely the success. Less than 4 days old is much more successful.

 

[ShannonR]

Short answer, no.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

Sorry for the loss of your hen.
In my experience a hen would not accept chicks much older than a week old. At four weeks they are much too old. The chicks also would not accept a different mother at this point.

What is your weather and coop like? The chicks should be fine alone now in terms of not needing the mother for warmth unless you have extreme cold, but you need to consider how safe they are from older hens who will bully them badly now that they don't have their mother to protect them. It would be best to keep them in a separate area where other hens cannot access them at night for a while until they are bigger and make sure they have space to escape the bigger chickens during the day plus plenty of chick-accessible food and water sources.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Surprisingly they are just hanging out eating and free ranging with the rest of the flock. I thought maybe at that age they wouldn't be accepted by a broody hen. The roo and his flock seem fine with them. I'll let them be. Thank you for all the quick replies.

 

[Mrs. K]

That is the beauty of having a hen raise them in the flock. They belong there.

 

[Apis mellifera]

That is the beauty of having a hen raise them in the flock. They belong there.

Great point. My hens with chicks free range with the rest of the flock, never considered the benefits.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Surprisingly they are just hanging out eating and free ranging with the rest of the flock. I thought maybe at that age they wouldn't be accepted by a broody hen. The roo and his flock seem fine with them. I'll let them be. Thank you for all the quick replies.

Good decision. I've had a couple of different hens wean their chicks at three weeks, totally leaving them alone to make their way with the flock. They did. The weather was pretty warm. the hen had spent three weeks teaching the other chickens to accept her babies, and I have a lot of room, inside the coop and outside. Some people could run into problems with that, we all have different conditions and flocks. But if it is working for you, life is good.