Adding Chicks to a Broody Hen - Tips for a Successful Adoption

[@Sapphiee]

I just got chicks for my broody silkie and this worked!! I'm so happy, thank you so much!!

[@ChickenHues]

I’m so glad it worked! Silkies are such nice mothers.

[@Teacher-lj6in]

Such a beautiful lady with so much love to give...a perfect mother!!

[@ChickenHues]

She is a great mom! Thanks for watching

[@Jayrezah]

Ive got a few chicks from an incubator they hatched the eggs we left for the brooding chickens havent hatched yet i thought id surprise them sneaking a baby under them and they went nuts tryna kill it i didnt expect that instinctively i grabbed the chickens by the neck before they could do any real damage to the baby that night i put them under one of the non broody hens and she took them in as her own she also happens to be the biggest toughest of the lot so i know she will protect those babies even if she has to kill the brooding fuckers

[@FarmallFanatic]

I have some Rhode Island reds that are hatching on Saturday and I also have a broody hen that has 3 week old chicks so that's going to add an extra dynamic

[@ChickenHues]

Lots going on at your place! Fun’

[@everythingwillberevealed3215]

How did it go?

[@eqxine._8773]

Have you had chicks squashed by the hen and other eggs? One morning I went down to my coop and saw a chick hatching, but I couldn’t stay and help as I had school, but after school I went down to the coop and there was no chick and the hen had left to another nest. I saw a black thing in the nest, and thought it was poo. After grieving a bit over the chick not hatching (what I thought At the time) I decided to clean the nest out as the other hens wouldn’t appreciate poo in their nest.. but then I realised there was bits of shell on the other eggs, and put the box into the light instinctively. I then saw the fluff that’s on baby chickens, and then a beak.. I flipped it over with a stick and saw legs. I figured it had been squashed, but I didn’t know that could happen as I’ve never heard of it before and it was my first time with a broody hen. Has this happened to you yet?

[@ChickenHues]

I have found something similar. Chicks “squash” easily after they die, so it may not have been the hen’s fault. It’s hard to say what happened, but it’s definitely sad. Those things can happen more I think when the hen is in the main coop moving around with the other hens, though. Sorry about your experience and thanks for sharing it. Maybe other people will share what they think.

[@BreakTheIce222]

Great video. I think there's 2 things to consider: the temperament of the hen, and the age of the chicks. I've had great adoptive hens that have adopted chicks in broad daylight without any hesitation. The age of the chicks matters more though; once they are more than 2 days old they've usually imprinted on something else if they were hatched in an incubator, so they simply don't follow the hen around when she tries to lead them to food, etc.

[@ChickenHues]

Excellent points! Thank you for sharing!

[@stevemlejnek7073]

I have a broody hen now that looks exactly like this hen of yours! Since I have no rooster, I plan to slip some day old chicks under her this evening under cover of dark. She has been sitting on wooden eggs for 20 days.

[@ChickenHues]

How did it go? The timing seems great for adding chicks!

[@WillowCreekHomestead]

Wonderful information and very well delivered thank you

[@zannegears7366]

The best time for keeping chicks under broody hen is at night when there are asleep

[@ChickenHues]

True!

[@EowynG191]

This was exactly my question-- not just a broody hen but a hen whose chicks already hatched. Thanks for your short, straight to the point video!!!

[@ChickenHues]

I’m glad it was helpful!

[@DaysOfSodaAndLantana]

Do you see a difference in the “tame mess” or temperament of chicks raised by you in a brooder as opposed to one’s raised by a broody hen?

[@ChickenHues]

Yes! Chicks raised by my broody hens are pretty wild. They will come up to get scratch but tend to be more wary of me.

[@chickenmanedbrown8054]

Same thing I do what I do is I put empty egg shells with the Broody hen and she eat them Broody hens eat the eggshells that keep a code active in the birds thoughts. That they are her real siblings. I've done it with chicks that are 2 weeks old or more

[@ChickenHues]

That's interesting and not something I've heard of before!

[@alyssalubinsky7847]

Hi i have a couple of brooding hens, Australorps, and they (for some reason) are brooding in the same nesting box. We recently gave the brooding hens some chicks (in hopes to get eggs again soon), and last night we put them underneath the moms and they are alive. Today we were peeking and it doesn’t seem like the babies have gotten a chance to eat. Their food and water is all accessible in the coop but the moms haven’t let the chicks out to eat. The brooding mommas keep pushing the chicks back underneath themselves. One chick slipped out to eat earlier and was greeted by being pecked at by one of the brooding hens. Any advice?

[@ChickenHues]

They can fight over chicks and attack the chicks when they’re together like that. Some will do great together and some won’t. If they’re pecking and hoarding, it may be better to separate them into their own corners so the chicks bond with their own mom. How old were the chicks?

[@jclk06]

I just raise the chicks myself and then there a lot friendlier

[@ChickenHues]

They do tend to be friendlier when they’re hand raised.

[@sereirymek7896]

Agree, however a lot of handling but I loved it. I raised 5 chicks purchased from Tractors Supply: 2 white Leghorns and 3 Rhode Island Reds. My 17 months old hens still laying nonstop so far and are super friendly even the Leghorns.

[@Feathered_English]

Wow, that’s why my birds that I have incubated follow me around like puppies!

[@pattikemp-gettmann9646]

I did it during the day and she seen me do it. Took right to them

[@ChickenHues]

That’s great!!

[@shandramacniven5964]

I recently did it during the day with one of my broodies. She was sitting on fake eggs, so I stuck one hand under her and wiggled the egg a bit, then slipped a chick in with the other hand and took the fake egg away, and she was like "It hatched!" So I did that 7 times with the 7 chicks I had and she was great.

[@j.wildoutdoors8483]

How'd it work? I'm doing this in about 5 mins

[@ChickenHues]

How did it go?

[@Jesse12489]

I want to raise chickens but I dunno what breed I should start out with. How many hens should I start with or do I need at least Rooster to keep them safe.

[@ChickenHues]

Hatchery catalogs and websites have all their breeds listed with a description. Are you looking for eggs, pets, or meat and eggs? How many depends on the coop space you have. It’s usually best to plan on at least twice as many as you think you’ll originally get. 😉 Hens don’t need a rooster for anything, although they are fun to have around if you live where the crowing won’t be a problem.

[@Jesse12489]

@@ChickenHues I can't imagine killing them for meat. I was planning on raising them for eggs.

[@randygreen007]

I’m in that “doesn’t go so well category” yet again. My broody hen was sitting on a clutch of 7 but two hatched early and she left her eggs to tend to the chicks. I put the extra eggs into an incubator and three hatched and before I put them back with the momma I let them fluff out really well. The last time I did this I made the mistake of adding an almost fluffed out chick back with her and she scalped it. Everything was fine for two days but just now I noticed she has scalped two of the three. Hhhhmmmm maybe she senses they are weaker than the rest or just prefers to save what appears to be the roo chicks. Anyway, I have three more chicks hatching out and I’ll probably just brood them separately until they are able to fend for themselves. It seems there is no rhyme or reason for this behavior but it sure is heartbreaking to see it happen.

[@ChickenHues]

I’m so sorry. I think it depends on them hen. I had one kill a chick that I added that looked different from the others. In your case, if it was the same hen, I would not let her raise chicks anymore. If it is a different hen I’d wonder if it is another chicken in your flock doing it (or turkeys or ducks).

[@samirali3178]

How do we tell if the incubator hatched the chicks?

[@jujucattys156]

Sorry if stoped queschion but if I have a very broody chicks with no eggs but I have some in. Incubater that like week or Evan days from hatching If they be plased under her if ya willing to possibly loose them eggs?

[@ChickenHues]

You can try that. I’ve had it work well.

[@t6nia]

MY HEN IS BROODY AAA I’ve never had a broody chicken omg why do I keep watching these videos I’m just so excited

[@ChickenHues]

How is your hen doing?

[@RoosterChan]

Serious question, I decided to hatch an egg and it just so happens that a day or two before the the egg I was incubating hatched the Mama went broody, so she's been broody for about a week now and I want to put a two-day-old chick under her- she seems to be all right with it but I'm being very careful, I removed a bunch of her eggs after I put the chicken under for a few minutes but left one or two of them and sprinkled some eggshells in the box- tomorrow I'm probably going to remove the last two eggs and leave her with the chick... The thing is when I first put the chick in there she pecked at its head but now she seems just fine and it's currently sleeping under her, she's a first time Mama I can understand her being confused - but she's also Bantam coachin with good breeding lines so I'm going to pay very close attention and hope it works out

[@ChickenHues]

How is it going? It sounds like it is going pretty well.

[@heatherbostick1719]

What breed is the hen in this video

[@ChickenHues]

Hi Heather. She's an Olive Egger (Ameraucana/Black Copper Marans mix).

[@jendyson2979]

Very interesting

[@cristinford7856]

egg are the best

[@bearballewFam]

I have a broody sitting on plastic eggs. We have chicks on order. Will this work knowing she won't hatch her own?

[@ChickenHues]

It can work. Give them her after dark fit the best chance of it working. Some hens do great with it and others don’t. Check to make sure all is well a few times and first thing in the morning. Don’t wait because chicks seem to bond best with a hen in the first few days. I’d love to here how it went! 😊

[@courtneypinder4073]

My mama hatched 2 babies Sunday. I'd like to give her 10 more chicks tomorrow (as her clutch were duds but the 2) night that hatched Wednesday. I'm hoping she accepts them.

[@ChickenHues]

Let us know how it goes! Hopefully it all goes well!!

[@courtneypinder4073]

@@ChickenHues success!!! I even did it during the day..i know, risky. She paid NO mind lol im so happy!!

[@amd.amdamd]

Just put them under the hen at night without her seeing it. She would accept them as her own

[@skyedoolittle101hopehomest4]

epic!

[@ADRIEL296]

why isnt she pecking you?

[@ChickenHues]

They don’t always. Maybe because she’s usually very friendly and knows me?

[@laitulip5026]

JESUS IS KING

[@ChickenHues]

Yes, He is!

[@albujeyash2580]

They don’t kill chicks is the way you put it with under the hen that killed it? you supposed to take the mommy chicken and the babies out and you release the adopted babies with her you don’t put babies under her made that up😂😂😂😂