Will broody hen take care of chicks that were incubated?

[nursecat9]

1 week after the incubator arrived, 5, yes that's right, 5 hens went broody! Really! Anyway, can I put these chicks in the brooder with 1 of these hens?

 

[nursecat9]

Any ideas? I just moved 2 broodies to the brooder... ha ha sounds funny! They don't like being in there, but it's only been about 5 minutes, and I put some eggs in with them. We'll see how that goes, and if they calm down or not, before I even think about introducing them.

 

[Mark's Menagerie]

Quote:
The broody hens would probably be ok with eggs, especially if you slip them in at night when the hens are sleeping, but I'd be very very careful about putting chicks in with them as they will be VERY protective of the eggs & any chicks they hatch and are naturally aggressive at that point. If you do want to slip in some chicks, again, do it at night when the hen is asleep.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I've only dealt with breaking a broody. However, what I've heard, is that the broody (after sitting on a clutch of eggs for a few days) will adopt a recently-hatched chick if you tuck the chick under her, after dark. She will think one of her eggs hatched. Put all the chicks under her, while she's still sitting broody on the nest, and then remove the fake eggs that she's been sitting on. If she is a good broody, she'll take over raising the chicks. Just watch her closely for a few days, making sure that she's doing her job and the chicks aren't getting weak from neglect.

Otherwise, if you have fertile eggs to hatch, you can put them in a nest under a broody hen- who is VERY broody (you have to be certain of it). She will take over from there, hatching the eggs & rearing the chicks.

ETA: Yeah, don't slip fertile eggs AND chicks under her, at the same time. That's not natural and one of the two will be neglected. Either the chicks OR fertile eggs, but not both together.

 

[nursecat9]

Thank you so much! I put some eggs in there with her for now, but after she's asleep, I'll slip the chicks in and take the eggs away! I really hope this works!

 

[the lone rhubarb]

Good luck!!!!!!!

 

[lilblessings5]

I would be interested in hearing how it turns out for you. I had a friend do this and had great results.

 

[Mom2Cool]

I slip eggs & chicks in under my Orpingtons *all the time* . We always do it at night but you open a door with a hen that's broody & they are NOT asleep but ready to take your face off! It's been our experience here that they will accept chicks, eggs or whatever I'm puting under her *as she gives us (hubby or I) one heck of a nice pecking! They are aggressive but here it's only been toward the humans & anything that's being slipped under them they always seem to swipe under them protectively with a wing or a foot... I try not to inter fear with my hens all that much i.e. candling eggs or moving a hen to crates & all that etc. I leave them in the coop (yes the regular coop) & what hatches hatches what doesn't doesn't. The only time I've had issues (like the last hatching) is when I've interferred & tried to move her to another place. SO that's why I just leave em be & if I want something hatched I just hand it off to whatever hen has gone broody...