There are many instances where you may wish to place your new chicks with a broody hen. Once you've confirmed your hen is in the broody stage, place her in her own private area with feed and water. Use an appropriate chick starter; both mom and chicks can eat this--the extra protein is good for mom during this time too.
The sooner you can get the chicks the better, but in the meantime, you can encourage the broody hen to stay broody by keeping a calm and private nesting spot for her. Once you receive your chicks, be sure to have a temporary brooder set up and allow the chicks to become acclimated. We would not recommend attempting to have her adopt chicks older than a week of age. We hatch and ship our chicks on the same day so by the time you would receive them they are only 24-72 hours old.
The sooner you can get the chicks the better, but in the meantime, you can encourage the broody hen to stay broody by keeping a calm and private nesting spot for her. Once you receive your chicks, be sure to have a temporary brooder set up and allow the chicks to become acclimated. We would not recommend attempting to have her adopt chicks older than a week of age. We hatch and ship our chicks on the same day so by the time you would receive them they are only 24-72 hours old.
Be sure not to overhandle the chicks to help them retain their own scent. When it is well into the night and the hen is sleeping, you can tuck a couple of chicks under the chest or under the wing of the broody hen, also remove a few eggs. Walk away but stay close enough to see if there would be irritation from the mother hen, if there would be unnerving sounds, then you would want to try the next night. If not, check on them the next day to make sure the broody hen has accepted the additions as her own.
Positive things to look and listen for would be the hen's behavior toward the chick, soft tones, and acceptance in trying to adjust the chick for its benefit. There is a possibility of the mother hen not accepting a chick, so if you would have children involved in the process be sure to check them yourself first in case there would be a casualty. If by the next day she's accepted the couple that you had introduced to her, add the rest under her the next night. If she does not take to chicks, it may be best to order hatching eggs and have her hatch them instead. When successfully adopting chicks, allow the new mother and her chicks to have their own area because other members of the flock may show aggression toward the new additions. However, if the flock has a history of accepting new additions keep a watchful eye on them once they've been introduced.
Please note: Meyer Hatchery will not cover losses that occur outside of a controlled environment, such as a broody hen. See our policy page for more information.
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