Will broody hen adopt chicks?

[chick little]

Thanks I'll try that

 

[peepinator]

Hello everyone! I thought I'd chime in since today I just received 11 chicks that I ordered and planned on putting them under my broodiest hen. My best and only broody hens are my silkie and silkie mixes. They are really awesome mamas. I have put day old chicks all the way up to two-week old chicks under them and you would never know that they didn't hatch those babies themselves. Made no difference. I always do it at night (I keep my brooding hens that are sitting on eggs in their own individual pens) and just put one chick at a time under her. If I've got a hen that is hatching chicks...I wait to add other chicks until when the eggs start to hatch...otherwise

 

[peepinator]

Oops...hit submit on accident! As I was saying...otherwise you risk her getting off the nest and not hatching the other eggs. I have also put chicks under a hen that just went broody a day or two...just remove eggs and put chicks under her and bingo! Instant mama! Tonight I did something I've never done before...I put 11 chicks under my broodiest hen that wasn't even broody...I just made up a pen with shavings...food & water...went in the coop at dark...and took her off the roost and put her in the pen. I let her settle in for awhile then brought in the chicks and slipped them under her one at a time. They settled in under her and I sat quietly in the dark and listened as they quickly all stopped peeping and I heard her talk to them quietly. I am sure she'll accept them and by morning her motherly instincts will be all kicked in when it's light out she'll be showing them how to eat and drink and be chickens! I'll let ya know how it went in the morning

 

[liljunie]

Great info thank you!

 

[chick little]

I'm not sure my chicken will adopt the chicks.my qustions are once i put the chicks under her do I have to keep checking on her.my second qustion is does my chicken need to be asleep because my rooster wakes everybody up if I step into the coop?my third qustion is do broody golden buffs adopt chicks that are of 2 weeks old they olny have started to grow feathers

 

[annanimal]

Well if you put them under her, it is best to keep an eye on her, go hide somewhere where she cant see you and watch and see, if she starts atacking them then odviously take them away but if she seems happy than leave her.
No, she does not have to be asleep, it is just better to do it at night because she has all night to get used to the feel of new chicks, although many people have done it succesfully in the daytime it is always better to do it at night.
It is best if the chicks are under three days, you can try it with two week old chicks but chances are she is going to reject them and if she does you want to be there to take them away from her. It doesnt hurt to try but if you see her trying to atack the chicks take them away.
If you have any more questions i would be happy to answer them for you!

 

[Fancychooklady]

I always do it under the cover of darkness. My silkie cross called " momma " has raised sussex, barnevelders, silkies and Wyandotte 's.

 

[chick little]

I forgot to tell you she's siting on an empty nest so will she think that the chicks are intruders

 

[annanimal]

No, i dont think she will think that the chicks are intruders!
Tell us how it works out!

 

[chick little]

I will thanks