I'm so glad I watched this video before trying to introduce day old chicks to a mom who only got 2 of 4 eggs that hatched. She adamantly rejected them and even tried to kill one. I didn't dare try to sneak them under her at night after that. I believe you saved the lives of for darling little babies who I'll raise on my own.
I have never had a brooding hen refuse new babies "sneaking" them under her at night, but this way is interesting too! Good to know I don't have to wait until dark to give new additions to mommy hens
I introduced a few chicks one at a time over the span of a couple weeks to a month with one of my hens. She is a silkie and hadn’t even laid her first egg, months off from doing so, and has never been broody. Hani made for an awesome mother. At first she resisted. She was the lowest in the pecking order and tended to keep to herself just staring into the sky or ceiling all day. I brought her inside and she happily raised six baby chicks all up. Eventually I did try putting more under her while her current chicks were about a month or two old, but she rejected every one of them and tried to go after and hurt them. I don’t doubt that she will eventually come around, but she still is mama bear to her now four month old babies.
I have 3 hens that sat on eggs & co hatched. they will be 2 weeks old this coming week. Today I bought 2 5 day or so chicks at tractor supply & tonight put under good mama cochin hen, but after watching this I will get up before dawn & get the new chicks & mamas and my 2 weeks old and watch them!!! I pray mine 1 out of 3 will accept the new leg horn pullets! My other chicks are silkie cochin mixes. April 2023
did your hen accept new chicks? did she already have chicks? Its April 2023 & i have 2 week old chicks & now 4 day old chicks...i pray mamas accept them
My hen only had 1 egg successfully hatch out of 8. She’s been with it for five days today so I decided to buy 6 and introduce them to her and she accepted all of them 😊
It was really inspiring I'll try this out tomorrow. My hen just hatched and I want to introduce a new chick to it I was trying to sneak it in the night but I'll just introduce the chick to the hen and I hope she accepts the new chick. And it's also her first time with chicks
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage hey i got 2 leghorn pullets about 5 days old at TS tonight & like a idiot thought mamas ( i have 3 with checks they hatched together) I thought i can just sneak babies in at night. Its 12am and i went out with flashlight & all still ok. But im getting up before day light & be sure mamas dont attack them at daylight! My mamas are a cochin bantam, a silkie, and a silkie cochin cross. Its April 2023.
I have two mama Cochin hens with 2 young chicks each and a clutch of eggs in an incubator from my rooster who recently died. They are due to hatch today and one is already pecking out of the shell. Is it better to put the i hatches eggs under the hens or better to wait for them to hatch? One hen sometimes pecks the other mama’s two younger chicks so I’m concerned about that dynamic and the more aggressive hen even rejecting the other hens family…..so is sooner better than after they’ve all hatched?
I would not put hatching eggs under a hen unless she was broody. Since her chicks are already hatched it’s better to give her the chicks after they are hatched and walking around. Just keep in mind she may not take them. It’s normal for hens to peck at other chicks in the flock it’s their way of establishing order.
Hi great video! I have a baby chick (1 week old) with a wry neck and it also seems to be narcoleptic. It took days of TLC to get it to walk, eat and drink water independently though the chick is now much better (energetic and vocal) and now can do all of those things without help! ♥ It has been indoors and separated from its mother hen and siblings per online recommendations (I believe the hen had trampled it or rejected it before hence the wry neck and so I have trepidations since I spent a lot of time/effort to get the chick well and I do not want the hen to harm it again). I am wondering how and when I should reintroduce the chick to the mother hen and siblings given it is not being used to being outdoors and falls asleep often for a few seconds at a time every few minutes or so. It also sleeps more 8-10 hours at night, too. It's neck is only very slightly bent now and only noticeable after it drinks water after lifting up it's head to digest.
I have a hen that has hatched 6 chick and they are between 1 and a half to 2 weeks old. Little different in age because 3 eggs were placed under her from a different chicken. The mom is an australorp. I've found some Rhode Island Red chicks of the same age that I really want to get. What are my chances of her accepting them? I don't have any Rhode Island Reds and really want some bc they are pullets and I need more hens.
Hi there, we have 3 mamas co-parenting only 6 chicks that are now about 2 weeks old (they all went broody together and we put eggs under them from the others as they were laid, but after 6 chicks hatched they were happy enough and abandoned the nest). We've just started incubating 10 eggs, so the older chicks will be 5 weeks before the new ones are hatched. Is this too late to try to add more chicks? I think it probably will be too late but thought I'd ask as am new to all this. Thank you!
I have been trying to introduce baby chicks to a broody hen. She has been sitting for monthsssss. I take her off of eggs every day so these past couple weeks I have let her sit in another coop on eggs, went and bought baby chicks (1 day old) and have been trying to put under her for 3 days and she is puffing up and pecking them. I know there’s a normal amount like you said in your video but she has feathers from them in her beak so I brought them back inside. I don’t feel like she is going to accept them. Do you have any suggestions ? Or is this normal behavior? I don’t want to risk her killing them
No you can not introduce chicks to a broody hen only a hen that has recently hatched chicks of her own. Sometimes on a rare occasion a hen will take them in but only if she’s hatched chicks before. They have to go through the whole process of hatching chicks before they will adopt. Otherwise she will kill them.
Ive got a question. We had a Silkie hen, hatch 7 eggs. After a few days we had to seperate one of the chicks as she had a cut on her back. Its been 3 weeks of healing inside with us. Now the mother hen has rejected the chick and wont let her re-intergrate, she pecks at it whenever it gets too close to the others. Any advice on getting this one back in with the flock?
Oh man that’s too sad! My advice is to put it in a cage within your coop for a couple of weeks or until it’s grown enough to integrate. Once they’re used to seeing it everyday it will be an easier transition. They will still show it the pecking order but at least it will be older and can handle the pecking. A little pecking is ok but constant unrelenting pecking is not. So make sure to hang around a lot when you release it to the flock.
@@illinoisvideoatlarge8039 once the hen (which turned out the be a rooster) got older which only took a few months. It started to get closer and then one evening we couldn’t find it and it was in the coop behind the others. After that it became part of the flock. Feathers grew back completely and now rules the roost.
What breed is that hen? Dominique or Barred Rock? I have a barred rock and have been wondering if she would naturally go broody. She is also at the top of the pecking order, so I thought she would be the best option
We lost a chick last week so I gave my hen four more babies with the other two week old chicks she’s taking care of. I started with one and she accepted her! So I brought the others in one at a time but she rejected one of them. I picked up the chick to get her away and I sat there for a minute in the coop but when man heard her she came after me! I really don’t want to brood her alone. I was hopeful she would adopt all of them, any idea why she rejected that one?
So it looks like you keep mama and the babies in a separate area from the rest? It's my first time with a broody hen and I've learned a lot from your videos. Thanks so much!
I just added one chick to a hen who is already taking care of her 15 chicks...if it goes well I will add remaining 3 to her at night... hoping for the best , so I'm just here reassuring my action 😅
Yes when one goes broody sometimes several will follow suit but nothing makes your flock go broody like new chicks on the farm. If you can’t get your hens to go broody just bring some chicks home and they will all rush to have their own. Lol you know what they say about baby fever!
No she will not abandon her eggs she’s more likely to kill the chicks you put under her. She had to have hatched chicks first before you can introduce other chicks.
No it doesn’t work that way with chicks they don’t really attach to humans unless they are a lone chick and even then not really. They are more dependent on other chicks if they are from and incubator.
What a sweet mama, aww 🥺
I'm so glad I watched this video before trying to introduce day old chicks to a mom who only got 2 of 4 eggs that hatched. She adamantly rejected them and even tried to kill one. I didn't dare try to sneak them under her at night after that. I believe you saved the lives of for darling little babies who I'll raise on my own.
Thank you!
*hen* hmmn. I seem to have gained another chick. Oh well.
Thank you for this great guide. You clearly know your subject. Introducing baby chicks to broody hens has always been a tricky proposition in my coop.
I have never had a brooding hen refuse new babies "sneaking" them under her at night, but this way is interesting too! Good to know I don't have to wait until dark to give new additions to mommy hens
I introduced a few chicks one at a time over the span of a couple weeks to a month with one of my hens. She is a silkie and hadn’t even laid her first egg, months off from doing so, and has never been broody.
Hani made for an awesome mother. At first she resisted. She was the lowest in the pecking order and tended to keep to herself just staring into the sky or ceiling all day.
I brought her inside and she happily raised six baby chicks all up. Eventually I did try putting more under her while her current chicks were about a month or two old, but she rejected every one of them and tried to go after and hurt them.
I don’t doubt that she will eventually come around, but she still is mama bear to her now four month old babies.
I have 3 hens that sat on eggs & co hatched. they will be 2 weeks old this coming week. Today I bought 2 5 day or so chicks at tractor supply & tonight put under good mama cochin hen, but after watching this I will get up before dawn & get the new chicks & mamas and my 2 weeks old and watch them!!! I pray mine 1 out of 3 will accept the new leg horn pullets! My other chicks are silkie cochin mixes. April 2023
Definitely watch them she may kill them if they are much smaller than her older chicks.
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage mamas hate them . I have inside. They follow me
Thanks for posting this video. Answered question I had with a situation I have right now!
did your hen accept new chicks? did she already have chicks? Its April 2023 & i have 2 week old chicks & now 4 day old chicks...i pray mamas accept them
My hen only had 1 egg successfully hatch out of 8. She’s been with it for five days today so I decided to buy 6 and introduce them to her and she accepted all of them 😊
Don’t you just love that?
This is a really well done video about foster hens. I’m surprised that the views are not in the millions.
Thank you so much! Wouldn’t that be something if they were? 😱
So informative. Absolutely brilliant.
My Rooster back in the farm adopts chicks too...
I do not know if it is natural, or that my pet Claude Bantam really just has a Motherly side....
That’s very common and normal for roosters. They are wonderful with chicks and will take good care of them!
That’s very common and normal for roosters. They are wonderful with chicks and will take good care of them!
It was really inspiring I'll try this out tomorrow. My hen just hatched and I want to introduce a new chick to it I was trying to sneak it in the night but I'll just introduce the chick to the hen and I hope she accepts the new chick. And it's also her first time with chicks
Superb video 👍
My Broody hen lost her only chick Two Hawk and then 3 days later I went to Tractor Supply and got four chicks and she took to them right away
Hi. Such great information!!! So you never separate mama and babies from flock? They are all together the entire process?
Yes they are together with the flock the entire process.
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage hey i got 2 leghorn pullets about 5 days old at TS tonight & like a idiot thought mamas ( i have 3 with checks they hatched together) I thought i can just sneak babies in at night. Its 12am and i went out with flashlight & all still ok. But im getting up before day light & be sure mamas dont attack them at daylight! My mamas are a cochin bantam, a silkie, and a silkie cochin cross. Its April 2023.
I have two mama Cochin hens with 2 young chicks each and a clutch of eggs in an incubator from my rooster who recently died. They are due to hatch today and one is already pecking out of the shell. Is it better to put the i hatches eggs under the hens or better to wait for them to hatch? One hen sometimes pecks the other mama’s two younger chicks so I’m concerned about that dynamic and the more aggressive hen even rejecting the other hens family…..so is sooner better than after they’ve all hatched?
I would not put hatching eggs under a hen unless she was broody. Since her chicks are already hatched it’s better to give her the chicks after they are hatched and walking around. Just keep in mind she may not take them. It’s normal for hens to peck at other chicks in the flock it’s their way of establishing order.
Hi great video! I have a baby chick (1 week old) with a wry neck and it also seems to be narcoleptic. It took days of TLC to get it to walk, eat and drink water independently though the chick is now much better (energetic and vocal) and now can do all of those things without help! ♥ It has been indoors and separated from its mother hen and siblings per online recommendations (I believe the hen had trampled it or rejected it before hence the wry neck and so I have trepidations since I spent a lot of time/effort to get the chick well and I do not want the hen to harm it again). I am wondering how and when I should reintroduce the chick to the mother hen and siblings given it is not being used to being outdoors and falls asleep often for a few seconds at a time every few minutes or so. It also sleeps more 8-10 hours at night, too. It's neck is only very slightly bent now and only noticeable after it drinks water after lifting up it's head to digest.
What would you do in this instance?
I have a hen that has hatched 6 chick and they are between 1 and a half to 2 weeks old. Little different in age because 3 eggs were placed under her from a different chicken. The mom is an australorp. I've found some Rhode Island Red chicks of the same age that I really want to get. What are my chances of her accepting them? I don't have any Rhode Island Reds and really want some bc they are pullets and I need more hens.
Maybe? Depends on the chicken...how did u go?
Hi there, we have 3 mamas co-parenting only 6 chicks that are now about 2 weeks old (they all went broody together and we put eggs under them from the others as they were laid, but after 6 chicks hatched they were happy enough and abandoned the nest). We've just started incubating 10 eggs, so the older chicks will be 5 weeks before the new ones are hatched. Is this too late to try to add more chicks? I think it probably will be too late but thought I'd ask as am new to all this. Thank you!
Yes probably so.
I have been trying to introduce baby chicks to a broody hen. She has been sitting for monthsssss. I take her off of eggs every day so these past couple weeks I have let her sit in another coop on eggs, went and bought baby chicks (1 day old) and have been trying to put under her for 3 days and she is puffing up and pecking them. I know there’s a normal amount like you said in your video but she has feathers from them in her beak so I brought them back inside. I don’t feel like she is going to accept them. Do you have any suggestions ? Or is this normal behavior? I don’t want to risk her killing them
No you can not introduce chicks to a broody hen only a hen that has recently hatched chicks of her own. Sometimes on a rare occasion a hen will take them in but only if she’s hatched chicks before. They have to go through the whole process of hatching chicks before they will adopt. Otherwise she will kill them.
This is great info! Thank you!
If my broody hen will accept new chicks, do you think I could add young(few days old) chicks when hers are 2 weeks old already?
That might be pushing it but you can try and see how she reacts.
She's going to peck at them cos she has already identified her own at two weeks
How many eggs did the hen laying....plz tell me soon..... 🙏
They lay about 1 a day. Some take a couple days off a week.
Ive got a question. We had a Silkie hen, hatch 7 eggs. After a few days we had to seperate one of the chicks as she had a cut on her back. Its been 3 weeks of healing inside with us. Now the mother hen has rejected the chick and wont let her re-intergrate, she pecks at it whenever it gets too close to the others. Any advice on getting this one back in with the flock?
Oh man that’s too sad! My advice is to put it in a cage within your coop for a couple of weeks or until it’s grown enough to integrate. Once they’re used to seeing it everyday it will be an easier transition. They will still show it the pecking order but at least it will be older and can handle the pecking. A little pecking is ok but constant unrelenting pecking is not. So make sure to hang around a lot when you release it to the flock.
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage I Appreciate the reply, we will give that a go and slowly make it happen. happy farming :)
@@leea4839 Hope it works out for you!
@@leea4839 how did it go?
@@illinoisvideoatlarge8039 once the hen (which turned out the be a rooster) got older which only took a few months. It started to get closer and then one evening we couldn’t find it and it was in the coop behind the others. After that it became part of the flock. Feathers grew back completely and now rules the roost.
Are you in VA? I have a farm in central VA and wondered how close you are.
What breed is that hen? Dominique or Barred Rock? I have a barred rock and have been wondering if she would naturally go broody. She is also at the top of the pecking order, so I thought she would be the best option
She’s actually a Americauna mixed with black sexlink.
We lost a chick last week so I gave my hen four more babies with the other two week old chicks she’s taking care of. I started with one and she accepted her! So I brought the others in one at a time but she rejected one of them. I picked up the chick to get her away and I sat there for a minute in the coop but when man heard her she came after me! I really don’t want to brood her alone. I was hopeful she would adopt all of them, any idea why she rejected that one?
So it looks like you keep mama and the babies in a separate
area from the rest? It's my first time with a broody hen and I've learned a lot from your videos. Thanks so much!
I do during the night but during the day they free range altogether most of the time.
I just added one chick to a hen who is already taking care of her 15 chicks...if it goes well I will add remaining 3 to her at night... hoping for the best , so I'm just here reassuring my action 😅
Thanks for your video!!!
Informative
13 eggs wow!
Farmall Fanatic My giant Cochins can sit on 20! 😱😂
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage they hatch all 20?
Yes they are big and fluffy and great mothers. You could probably fit more than 20!
@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage twe.. what????? 😮😮😮 Woow that's...
Does having a few broody hens in a flock influence the whole flock to tend more toward broodiness?
Yes when one goes broody sometimes several will follow suit but nothing makes your flock go broody like new chicks on the farm. If you can’t get your hens to go broody just bring some chicks home and they will all rush to have their own. Lol you know what they say about baby fever!
How do you introduce chicks before she hatches eggs, won't she abandon eggs that haven't hatched?
No she will not abandon her eggs she’s more likely to kill the chicks you put under her. She had to have hatched chicks first before you can introduce other chicks.
Very helpful
What do you do when a green didn't accept??? I'm having that problem😢
Then you need to raise them in a brooder.
what's the title of the music that plays at the start?
At what time do you leave chicks all night with adoptive mom?
As soon as I know she’s taken them in pretty much right away. I usually check on them in the evening and make sure they are under her.
❤💗👍
Problem is that chick imprinted on you before it had a chance to imprint on the hen
No it doesn’t work that way with chicks they don’t really attach to humans unless they are a lone chick and even then not really. They are more dependent on other chicks if they are from and incubator.
I had a hen that would take 2 chicks and rejected the others 😢
my hen pecked he new chick to death...... I caugh it too late