Will broody hen adopt chicks?

[annanimal]

 

[chick little]

2 of my buff chicks are sick should I put them under my golden buff and where do you put the chicks and how many chicks should I put under her because Idont want to overwhelm her

 

[annanimal]

Ok first you have to see if she wants any chicks, if not than you are going to have to take care of the two sick chicks.
What exactly is wrong with the chicks?
You lift up the broody and just put the chicks under her and take out the eggs, if you have any.
Put as many chicks as you want, how many do you have?
Just dont put too many, at the most 15.
At first just put a couple to see how she reacts and if she likes them, put the rest, by the morning they will be out in the field/coop and looking like a family or in your brooder box, either one is fine!
Good luck!

 

[peepinator]

Well...I got up this morning and my silkie mama was squawking like crazy and I could hear her all the way up to the house. She was not by the chicks...they were all huddled together and she was protesting being in that pen with them and being forced to be a broody mama! Well...now I know...at least with my broodiest hen...if she isn't in brood mode...she isn't gonna take on chicks-day old or otherwise. It's ok...wasn't sure if it would work but I gave it a try! No worries...I will be mama chicken! I love those little fuzzy

butts! Chick little....I'm not sure if I would put sick chicks under your hen. If it were me...I would keep them separated from others until they are well. Have a great day everyone!

 

[annanimal]

Oh, sorry it didnt work out for you...
I love being their mama too!

 

[chick little]

I have 6 chicks. so should I put all of them or should I put 2at a time. I was reading about your chick who died in your hand sorry about him what was his name.
How will I know she wants chicks.her name is coco

 

[Mummu]

Last year I had some problems with laying hens going broody in the nests. We usually buy a few day old chicks every year just to keep the number of layers up. When we took our dozen day old chicks home from the store we put them in a large box covered with chicken wire in the hen house. Next time I went to the hen house I found a laying hen in the box with the chicks looking very pleased with herself! She was laying down while the chicks were cheeping happily and climbing all over her! We decided this was the solution to getting the broody hens out of the nests so we let her have them. She raised them very well along side the flock. We would often see her with the chicks just beyond where the rest of the flock was.

Later, last fall, we had the same problem again. Two of the laying hens went broody and refused to leave the nests. I figured the only way we were going to get them to leave was to find them some chicks! It was late summer/early fall and there were no day old chicks to be found so I put an ad on Kijiji and got a response from someone with three 5-6 week old bantams. I figured, what the heck, so I bought the bantam chicks and took them home to the broody hens. I covered the nests with chicken fencing and gave them each one chick while the third escaped and ran into the woods. I tried to find him but he stayed out of my reach! The hens took to their chicks to my amazement and spent many happy days showing them around the yard. The strange thing was that they always traveled together... two mothers and two chicks all traveling as one family! Then an even more amazing thing happened. The chick who had escaped into the woods came back and one of the mother adopted him as well. It was absolutely fascinating to watch. Little Eagle as we called him, came back. I would scatter some feed around where he could find it till one evening I was looking out of the window and saw something I would never forget. It was and twilight time for the two hens to take their families in for the night. One hen left the others and headed in to roost leaving the other hen alone with the two chicks. Something was up! I continued watching till I saw what was going on. The other mother with the two chicks was settling down near an old tire and tucking the chicks in under her wings, when lo and behold along comes Little Eagle and snuggles up under her wing as well. Because Little Eagle had spent a few days alone in the woods and was not welcomed by the flock when he came around he would not enter the hen house. This mother hen took him under her wing and made him part of her family, spending the night outside with him and his two sisters. I went outside and made a lean to for them with a piece of plywood as I was worried about predators finding them in the night. After that there was no problem getting him included with the flock. The second mother never did come back to the family, but she never went back to being broody either!

So I guess what I am trying to say is that anything is possible. Age doesn't necessarily matter to hens who desperately want to be mothers! Chickens are a wonderfully, entertaining addition to any back yard and it would seem have a lot of lessons they can teach people!

 

[annanimal]

I have 6 chicks. so should I put all of them or should I put 2at a time. I was reading about your chick who died in your hand sorry about him what was his name.
How will I know she wants chicks.her name is coco

Try two first and see how she reacts, if she reacts well than add the others, you can do it two at a time or as many as you want.
Thanks, his name was Oliver he was the sweetest little guy, i wish he had lived, he would be pretty old by now, he would have all his feathers, i think of him at times and just feel sad but happy at the same time.
Well you will see if she wants them by her reaction, i have heard of peoples hens pulling the chicks out by their legs and then atacking them, that means she doesnt want them.

And you can tell if she does want them if she starts clucking softly and snuggles into her nest.

 

[annanimal]

Mummu that is a wonderful story!!!

 

[chick little]

Your friends with dawn garden right. Thank for the advice.your pretty famous onBYC .