Will my hen be a mother?

[Australorp94]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have some hatching eggs that I was hoping my Australorp would mother for me. I heard they make great mother hens. Unfortunately, she stopped being broody the day they arrived and I placed them in an incubator. Will she still adopt them even if she isn't broody? I should also note that she started molting...which I'm sure won't get her in a mothering mood. Is there any hope left for me? Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[lilmillefleur]

If she's not broody, unfortunately no, she will not take them. But now you get to raise them yourself

 

[Australorp94]

If she's not broody, unfortunately no, she will not take them. But now you get to raise them yourself

Thank you puffypoo for the help. I thought the task might fall to me, and I'm okay with that

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi and welcome to the coop! How many eggs did you get?

 

[slordaz]

Welcome to BYC, I doubt she will take in the babies, but then again Chickens get their humor doing just the opposite of expected , I swear mine are always laughing at me. Like one that just spent 4 months broody no matter what i did couldn't break her, until put a recently hatched chick under her, she sat there warmed it up and moved over to the other laying box and finally laid her first egg in 4 months lol

 

[Australorp94]

Hi and welcome to the coop! How many eggs did you get?

Salutations, BigBlueHen53! I got six hatching eggs.

 

[Australorp94]

Welcome to BYC, I doubt she will take in the babies, but then again Chickens get their humor doing just the opposite of expected , I swear mine are always laughing at me. Like one that just spent 4 months broody no matter what i did couldn't break her, until put a recently hatched chick under her, she sat there warmed it up and moved over to the other laying box and finally laid her first egg in 4 months lol

Thank you slordaz. I know how you feel! My hen was broody for 2 months. Couldn't break her no matter what I did. Then I tell her "you're gonna be a mom" and she stops brooding, and then to top it off she starts molting! Granted she did try to sit on a baby cardinal once when she wasn't broody so maybe she'll be happy with the new arrivals.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Welcome to BYC, I doubt she will take in the babies, but then again Chickens get their humor doing just the opposite of expected , I swear mine are always laughing at me. Like one that just spent 4 months broody no matter what i did couldn't break her, until put a recently hatched chick under her, she sat there warmed it up and moved over to the other laying box and finally laid her first egg in 4 months lol

 

[cmfarm]

It isn't likely she would care for the chicks. But some chickens are very motherly and will take them at any time.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I would agree it's not very likely that she would accept them. But like @slordaz said, chickens can surprise you. This past spring when I moved my first batch of 5 week old chicks out to the coop, my cuckoo marans hen totally adopted them. She acted as if she had hatched them herself. She protected them and did everything a good mama hen does.
She's never ever been broody, so it was really kinda cool to see her be a mama
So, who knows... maybe.