Will broody hen adopt chicks?

[cochinfan05]

Are these chicks too old to introduce to a broody hen?

It honestly depends on the hen and the chicks. How long has the hen been broody? The only time it hasn't worked for me is when the hen had only been broody for a short time. I think anything is worth a try once. If it doesn't work out just place them back in the brooder. My only worry with older chicks is that they wouldn't imprint on mom. If it's cool out I think they may be more inclined to snuggle under her though.

 

[keeweekid]

I would think your safest bet at broody hen accepting them is to try at night. Chickens seem very still and awkward at night, because of their lack of night vision (my guess). It worked for me that way, when it seemed that in the daytime mamma hen did not accept them very well. She took to them right away at night when I tucked them under her wings. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[Sweet Coastal]

I had a broody RIR that we could not break after several attempts. We don't have any roosters so I ordered some hatching eggs. Unfortunately when they arrived they were severely damaged and I could not place them under her. She had been broody for about 2 months. I could tell her health was declining so I found a local farmer with some day old chics and it worked like magic. I follow the guidance by sneaking one in the first night. She took to it right away and I put the other 4 under her the next night. The are American Game and Blue Marans mix but she didn't care. This was her first time broody and she is doing a fantastic job!

 

[Sweet Coastal]

I did sneak mine in at night but my hen clearly saw what I was doing the whole time. I think that with her being broody for so long she didn't even care where the chicks came from she just wanted them. . I lifted her wing to try to sneak it in and as soon as she realized she took over. I couldn't have hope for a better result! We are at the one week mark and the chicks look wonderful and Missy is starting to get her groove back!

 

[ladyeggz]

I have a broody silkie hen, do I have to wait the entire 21 days before putting chicks under her? And how many chicks can a silkie hen care for. She is sitting on 6 silkie eggs 1 Phoenix egg and 1 white Plymouth egg...is 8 chicks to many for her to care for?

 

[cochinfan05]

I have a broody silkie hen, do I have to wait the entire 21 days before putting chicks under her? And how many chicks can a silkie hen care for. She is sitting on 6 silkie eggs 1 Phoenix egg and 1 white Plymouth egg...is 8 chicks to many for her to care for?

i gave my Bantam Cochin 12 hatchery chick last fall. All survived with no issues. I typically let them be sit for close to the 21 days. I tried introducing chicks to a hen that had only been broody for a few days once and she wouldn't except them.

 

[kimthom66]

I have a complicated issue I am hoping to get some answers for...my first experience with letting a broody hatch chicks.

I have a small Bantam Cochin flock that consists of 4 hens and 1 cockerel, 1 became broody and is setting on 8 eggs, I moved her to her own private coop and she took the move well and is due to hatch in about 3 - 4 days.

All was well until about 3 days ago I had another hen go broody and she is currently still in the coop with the rest of the flock but since it's small flock they have a small coop with only 1 nesting box and I have seen another hen in that box with her trying to lay her egg, so my question is should I move her as well into the coop with the one about to hatch even though their hatch dates will be about 2 weeks apart?

Or should I just leave her in the coop and just let her hatch out there? I did mark her eggs yesterday with a pencil. I also added (although not very well) another nesting place in the current coop in the hopes that the other 2 hens will lay there and leave her alone? But I am not sure that will work?

Help!?

 

[Ridgerunner]

No, leave the hen about to hatch alone. I’ve had two broodies fight over the eggs as they started to internal pip and destroy half the eggs. Keep them separated.

I don’t know what your set-up looks like or what your plans are with the first broody and her chicks when they hatch. That might influence what you do with the second broody.

I will say that hens have been hatching with the flock since before chickens were first domesticated. If you have marked the eggs you want her to hatch check under her daily after the others have laid and remove any eggs that don’t belong. As long as you remove them daily they are good to use. That’s the way I handle my broody hens, I do not isolate them.

Can bad things happen? Yes, t bad things can happen no matter what you do when you are dealing with living animals, whether you isolate broody hens or not. But it is the way many farmers have dealt with broody hens for thousands of years.

 

[kimthom66]

No, leave the hen about to hatch alone. I’ve had two broodies fight over the eggs as they started to internal pip and destroy half the eggs. Keep them separated.

I don’t know what your set-up looks like or what your plans are with the first broody and her chicks when they hatch. That might influence what you do with the second broody.

I will say that hens have been hatching with the flock since before chickens were first domesticated. If you have marked the eggs you want her to hatch check under her daily after the others have laid and remove any eggs that don’t belong. As long as you remove them daily they are good to use. That’s the way I handle my broody hens, I do not isolate them.

Can bad things happen? Yes, t bad things can happen no matter what you do when you are dealing with living animals, whether you isolate broody hens or not. But it is the way many farmers have dealt with broody hens for thousands of years.

Thank you so much for that advice! I was kinda leaning towards letting her stay where she was I also figured this would give me experience as to which method is best whether to move a broody off by herself or let her stay with the flock! I have already decided to add an addition to my coop with two nesting boxes so hopefully this won't happen again!

Another question, I have 3 day old chicks coming in about a week, can I throw them in with my momma and her babies (who will be about a week old) and let her raise them? They will be standard size hens and she and her chicks are bantams so they might be similar in size?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Where are you located? How cold will it be? Will the hen need to cover all the chicks or will they be OK outside of her cover? They grow awfully fast so think a couple of weeks down the road.

Some hens will mother any chick pretty much regardless of age. If you put your brooder where she can get to it, she may want to get those chicks to take care of them. It may work like a charm. And don’t worry too much about size, it’s maturity that often counts instead of size difference. They won’t be the same size for long anyway.

But sometimes a hen bonds with her chicks and will not accept any others. She may even attack the other chicks if she sees them as rivals to her chicks, though usually she leaves them alone as long as they stay away. A lot of times they initially don’t want to stay away so she tries to drive them away. She’s not really trying to hurt them, just trying to get them away from her chicks. But sometimes they get hurt.

I don’t know what will happen in your case. You can try it when you can observe for a while and have a plan B ready. That’s probably what I’d do. I’d put the new chicks under her at night after she has settled down and check very early the next morning. Do it the first night. The younger those chicks are the better your chances of success.

Good luck!