Will my other hens kill the babies

[jayke563]

hello I was thinking about letting one of my broody hens hatch her own eggs I think it would be cool but I was wondering if the other chickens will kill the clicks when they hatch can I let her do this

 

[Allears]

Hi there, not able to answer the question, but you may find some relevant info under Chicken Behaviours and Egg Laying... Hope it all works out well.

 

[jayke563]

Hi there, not able to answer the question, but you may find some relevant info under Chicken Behaviours and Egg Laying... Hope it all works out well.

thank u

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[drumstick diva]

If you put the broody in a secure area with her nest and eggs, her eventual chicks should be safe. When she feels they are ready to meet the flock, she would do so on her own. It is always good to supervise that event just in case there are more aggressive birds than one mama hen can handle.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! If the broody is watchful of her chicks, usually the other birds will leave them alone, but if chicks stray or get lost especially the other birds may kill them... usually like to keep the hen and chicks separate until the chicks are about a week old to be sure they are doing well. (If you let the hen raise the chicks with the flock, you will also need to feed everybody a food that is OK for chicks, and make sure water is available they can drink and not fall in.) There are some broody hen threads you might like to check out https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...en-hatch-a-long-and-informational-thread/0_20 and https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread/0_20 and a nice article on using broody hens https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/guide-to-letting-broody-hens-hatch-and-raise-chicks