When I got my chicks two weeks ago, they were one day old. I had a Speckled Sussex hen who'd been broody for just over a week, and an Australorp who'd been broody for a few days.
That night, I snuck all eight 1-day-old chicks under the hen who'd been broody the longest. I got up before dawn to see her reaction to her new chicks, and it's a good thing I did because she tried to kill them. She pecked the first one that crawled out from under her, and tossed it around a little before I realized what was going on and pulled the broody off the nest. I gathered up the chicks and put them back in the brooder.
I waited a night, and then tried putting three chicks under the other hen, who'd been broody for about 5 days by then. At dawn when she noticed them, she started pecking them too, so I took them away again.
Now it's two weeks later, so the first hen has been broody for three weeks, and the other one for about 2-1/2 weeks. Also, I now have another hen, a Faverolle, who's been broody for 3 or 4 days. I only have seven hens, so now I'm hardly getting any eggs!
So what I'm wondering is if I should try putting the chicks, now two weeks old, under the Sussex or the Australorp again, now that they've been broody for about as long as it would take to hatch eggs? Should I try just a few so I don't risk the ones my daughter has become attached to? If she accepts them, would she accept more the next night?
Or should I just give up and raise them myself & deal with the hassles of integrating them into the flock later?
Here's a couple pictures of them now:
That night, I snuck all eight 1-day-old chicks under the hen who'd been broody the longest. I got up before dawn to see her reaction to her new chicks, and it's a good thing I did because she tried to kill them. She pecked the first one that crawled out from under her, and tossed it around a little before I realized what was going on and pulled the broody off the nest. I gathered up the chicks and put them back in the brooder.
I waited a night, and then tried putting three chicks under the other hen, who'd been broody for about 5 days by then. At dawn when she noticed them, she started pecking them too, so I took them away again.
Now it's two weeks later, so the first hen has been broody for three weeks, and the other one for about 2-1/2 weeks. Also, I now have another hen, a Faverolle, who's been broody for 3 or 4 days. I only have seven hens, so now I'm hardly getting any eggs!
So what I'm wondering is if I should try putting the chicks, now two weeks old, under the Sussex or the Australorp again, now that they've been broody for about as long as it would take to hatch eggs? Should I try just a few so I don't risk the ones my daughter has become attached to? If she accepts them, would she accept more the next night?
Or should I just give up and raise them myself & deal with the hassles of integrating them into the flock later?
Here's a couple pictures of them now: