Will an older hen raise a chick?

[Easter_Egger04]

Hi everyone! I have an older hen (about 4 years old) and I was wondering if she would raise chicks? She isn’t broody, but I didn’t know if her “mother instincts” would kick in if she saw a chick?

Thanks!

 

[TheBeardie]

No. If you put a chick with a non broody hen they will try to kill the chick. Even putting chicks under a broody hen can sometimes result in injured and shunned chicks. How old would the chicks be?

 

[Easter_Egger04]

No. If you put a chick with a non broody hen they will try to kill the chick. Even putting chicks under a broody hen can sometimes result in injured and shunned chicks. How old would the chicks be?

Ok, thank you!

 

[sylviethecochin]

No. If you put a chick with a non broody hen they will try to kill the chick.

I'll agree in general. That's a bit hard-and-fast for animal behaviour. There are exceptions. Some, especially those raised in a mixed-age-flock, are quite tolerant of chicks.

I have had one non-broody spontaneously adopt chicks (out of more than a hundred chickens, and only once so far, so she's a freak, but it happened. She's a silkie.)

 

[TheBeardie]

I'll agree in general. That's a bit hard-and-fast for animal behaviour. There are exceptions. Some, especially those raised in a mixed-age-flock, are quite tolerant of chicks.

I have had one non-broody spontaneously adopt chicks (out of more than a hundred chickens, and only once so far, so she's a freak, but it happened. She's a silkie.)

That's cool that your silkie adopted random chicks out of nowhere!

I personally wouldn't risk the possibility of death. I do imagine there are few hens that would deal with having chicks around well, but the rest would most likely try to injure them.

Even with patient hens who are in a mixed age flock, it only takes one well placed peck to kill a chick. If the hen would tolerate chicks I don't think they would take them as their own. Plus the chicks wouldn't survive very well without a mother figure to keep them warm and bring them to food and water.

It would take a certain set of almost impossible circumstances for that situation to work out how we would like.

 

[sylviethecochin]

That's cool that your silkie adopted random chicks out of nowhere!

I personally wouldn't risk the possibility of death. I do imagine there are few hens that would deal with having chicks around well, but the rest would most likely try to injure them.

Even with patient hens who are in a mixed age flock, it only takes one well placed peck to kill a chick. If the hen would tolerate chicks I don't think they would take them as their own. Plus the chicks wouldn't survive very well without a mother figure to keep them warm and bring them to food and water.

It would take a certain set of almost impossible circumstances for that situation to work out how we would like.

I agree with everything you just said. My earlier post was just saying that "they will try to kill the chick" isn't always true. It's highly likely to be true for this case. But it's not 100% certain.