Young chicks in with a broody?

[mom2landj]

I have 10 two or three week old chicks in an aquarium in the basement. I also have a broody that's been sitting on eggs for a little over a week in my small coop. The next few days will be the end of the cool weather and the sooner I can get the chicks out of the basement the better. What do you think about putting them in with broody? I can put a light on at night in the second nesting box for them, but I don't want her to get too hot...thoughts? This is the coop she is in:

 

[azygous]

Space is going to be a major problem with all of those chicks of yours.

Each grown chicken requires a minimum of ten square feet of run space. A coop will need to be large enough to provide adequate roosting space of approximately one foot for each chicken, and that's not even counting the additional perch space to prevent squabbles when chickens try to hop onto a perch so crowded that they end up knocking each other off.

Unless you get busy right now, I'm afraid you are in store for a lot of overcrowding issues.

But, to answer your original question, broodies are cranky and temperamental. Putting chicks in with her are going to be tough on all of them, not to mention the danger to newly hatched chicks from older chicks.

Chickens aren't like fish. You can't just stuff them into an aquarium or small coop and expect them to be content. They require a LOT of space or else they will take it out on each other.

 

[TXchickenchick]

Honestly, the broody would probably have thise chicks killed off before hers ever hatch. A broody is not tolerant of any animal coming near her and those curious chicks would be easy to eliminate.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have 10 two or three week old chicks in an aquarium in the basement. I also have a broody that's been sitting on eggs for a little over a week in my small coop. The next few days will be the end of the cool weather and the sooner I can get the chicks out of the basement the better. What do you think about putting them in with broody? I can put a light on at night in the second nesting box for them, but I don't want her to get too hot...thoughts? This is the coop she is in:

This setup would be horribly overcrowded if you did move the chicks into it - but that would only be a temporary issue as the broody would quickly rectify the problem for you by taking out each and every one of those chicks. In short, don't do it.

 

[jlmissouri]

The broody hen stands a very good chance of killing the chicks. It really depends on the temperament of the hen, but most will not accept older chicks.

I have had luck with foster parent hens. I only add chicks to a hen that is hatching, should be hatching or will be hatching chicks soon. The chicks I stick under her will be young, the younger the better and I do it at night.

Once the hen has hatched chicks and has them out and about the chance are slim she will accept more. She usually knows her chicks, but as I said before it really depends on the hen.