Wondering if a broody hen would accept chicks

[MsBrahma]

Hi,

One of our hens (a black Maran) has been broody for about five days. It might be an opportunity to get some chicks and let her raise them. (We only have five hens, but two are about past laying, so we will need a few more.) Have members had a hen accept chicks?

It would be fun to start with fertile eggs, but I really don't want to end up with roosters!, which are hard to get rid of. So I was thinking maybe we could find some just-hatched sexlinked or other chicks that are "likely" pullets.

I imagine we could slip chicks under her at night. Would she accept them?

 

[LRH97]

Absolutely! However, I'd let her set for longer than five days. Some hens are really good about accepting chicks, and some can be a little more difficult. I have an older Wyandotte who is one of my best moms and I'd trust her. With newbies, I'd wait until closer to the time eggs were actually going to hatch. The idea is to more or less trick her into thinking her eggs have hatched. You just don't want to end up with a hen either kicking chicks out of the nest or being aggressive to them.

 

[ByrdFeathers]

? Would you remove the eggs she is sitting on and replace with chicks? or just leave the eggs?

 

[MsBrahma]

Right now she is setting on no eggs, since my family keep removing them! Does she need to have eggs under her to promote the ruse?

 

[MsBrahma]

Sorry, I got waylaid by jury duty. The hen is now in a separate space with her nest box, food and water. She has a few eggs under her (not fertile). I kind of don't like buying chicks from a tractor store, but if I want females, I guess I'll have to find a source other than potluck from Craigslist or the like. Any thoughts?

 

[Morrigan]

You can try some internet sleuthing to find a breeder nearby. It's always a challenge to find a reliable source for high quality chicks.

As far as swapping in the chicks, I've had the best luck by doing the following:

--Let her sit for 16 to 20 days on her fake eggs.
--Introduce the chicks at night while she is sleeping
--Remove the fake eggs when you put in the chicks.
--Stick a couple of empty, broken egg shells under her with the chicks.

Most (but not all) broodies will accept chicks under those conditions. Some broody hens don't need all that fan-fare. I once had a hen broody only 5 days in, accept a chick in the middle of the day. But, to ensure the best odds, I now go through the routine out-lined above.

 

[MsBrahma]

Thank you for the tips! I am going to start looking in earnest today. I could order chicks by mail, I guess, if I don't find any elsewhere.