I had a Buff Orpinton go broody, she was only "fully broody" for about 5 days. In other words she had started to act broody for a couple weeks...sitting in the nest box for several hours a day but then she would leave the nest for the rest of the day, she started to get growly and not want us to collect her eggs, finally she sat on her eggs and would not leave the nest, attacked your hand if you reached for her egg. So I gave her some golf balls to sit on and she would not leave them. After not leaving the nest for 5 days I knew she was "fully broody" .
So, I decided to get her some chicks at the feed store. The chicks were probably more like 3 to 5 days old not 1 day old when I went and bought them. I got 8, put them under a lamp in the feed room and waited until after dark (about 11pm). Went into the shed where she was (she is not accepted by the flock so she lived in the hay shed) and I slipped a chick under her and took out the golf balls. She made a little purring sound. I slipped the rest of the chicks under her. They had been cheeping unhappily but now as they nestled under her they became quiet and the hen made little noises to them. I was a little afraid they would leave her and wander around the hay shed but they did not. I checked again at about 3am and all was quiet, some little faces peeking out but everything seemed fine. I went out to be there at first light and the little ones would crawl in and out from under her but stayed very close. She seemed quite content with them. I was more amazed that the chicks born in a hatchery knew what a hen was than I was that the hen took them. I don't know if older chicks would know what a mother hen was for but these ones were crawling all over her later in the day.
We moved her to a more secure stall that we normally use for horses in the back of out pole barn. Two days later my daughter brought over 2 more chicks from the same batch at the feed store. It was broad daylight when we put those 2 in with her. One ran over to the other chicks and joined right in. One apparently did not know what to do and stood back. This chick got rejected by the hen. She took 9 in total but would not take the 10th chick. I tried again after dark but come morning she was able to recognize that chick and drove it away every time (it was the only Silver Laced Wyandotte so maybe it was how it looked or maybe how it acted I don't know. So we took that chick back to the feed store (I didn't want to set up a brooder for 1 chick).
Sadly, a weasel dug under the door and carried off all the chicks when they were about 2 weeks old so I never got to see them free range with the momma and/or integrate with the flock.
So, I decided to get her some chicks at the feed store. The chicks were probably more like 3 to 5 days old not 1 day old when I went and bought them. I got 8, put them under a lamp in the feed room and waited until after dark (about 11pm). Went into the shed where she was (she is not accepted by the flock so she lived in the hay shed) and I slipped a chick under her and took out the golf balls. She made a little purring sound. I slipped the rest of the chicks under her. They had been cheeping unhappily but now as they nestled under her they became quiet and the hen made little noises to them. I was a little afraid they would leave her and wander around the hay shed but they did not. I checked again at about 3am and all was quiet, some little faces peeking out but everything seemed fine. I went out to be there at first light and the little ones would crawl in and out from under her but stayed very close. She seemed quite content with them. I was more amazed that the chicks born in a hatchery knew what a hen was than I was that the hen took them. I don't know if older chicks would know what a mother hen was for but these ones were crawling all over her later in the day.
We moved her to a more secure stall that we normally use for horses in the back of out pole barn. Two days later my daughter brought over 2 more chicks from the same batch at the feed store. It was broad daylight when we put those 2 in with her. One ran over to the other chicks and joined right in. One apparently did not know what to do and stood back. This chick got rejected by the hen. She took 9 in total but would not take the 10th chick. I tried again after dark but come morning she was able to recognize that chick and drove it away every time (it was the only Silver Laced Wyandotte so maybe it was how it looked or maybe how it acted I don't know. So we took that chick back to the feed store (I didn't want to set up a brooder for 1 chick).
Sadly, a weasel dug under the door and carried off all the chicks when they were about 2 weeks old so I never got to see them free range with the momma and/or integrate with the flock.
