Anybody want some future little broodies?

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 3:09 pm

I gave Farrier a handful of chicks that were a few days old and his broody took them on. My only concern with your situation is the older chicks hurting the younger one.

Best of luck!

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 3:32 pm

Yes I will have to play it by ear I guess. I'm not sure the chicks would accept a mom by that age either. When I tried introducing Happy to his mom at a few days old it was like he didn't understand her language. She was clucking and trying to show him food and he had no clue. I want Little to be able to be a mom for as long as she wants so I'm just praying she hatches out a girl that can stay lol.

Post by **Killerbunny** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 4:05 pm

My broody, Sister, will mother pretty much anything even a few days old. She has saved 2 turkey poults for me now!
Good Luck!

kenya · Post by **kenya** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 4:53 pm

I've found some will accept anything even days later but some hens will not even a day later. The disadvantage to her having only one chick is the chick itself ,she will at some point disown it and it will have no one to buddy up with. I've found even later in life chicks hatched or brooded together tend to stay together. That chick will always be kind of separate. I would take that chick away from her as soon as it hatches put it in the brooder, give her 3 eggs from the incubator to continue hatching so she will get to have chicks. Once your other chicks hatch you put them in the brooder with the one lone chick and they will buddy up after a couple days. I've just seen it so many times when that one lone chick just never fits in if raised alone by the hen , especially if it turns out to be a pullet.
I don't know what other people's experience is but I've raised numerous chicks from many different breeds and that's my experience.

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:09 pm

That's a great idea except the eggs in the Bator are due to hatch 4 days before her egg.
I completely hear what you're saying though and it makes sense. Dammit all bad timing all the way around!

kenya · Post by **kenya** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:11 pm

I'd remove her egg but in some of the newly hatched and put that egg in the incubator

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 6:06 pm

kenya wrote:QR_BBPOST I'd remove her egg but in some of the newly hatched and put that egg in the incubator

Thanks Kenya that makes sense.
If I could go back in time I should have tossed a few eggs in the Bator the day I knew she was serious about sitting. I knew fertilization wasn't high. That way I could swap out her duds now with something from the incubator due to hatch same day. Hind site is 20/20...
Hopefully the switcheroo works. As great a mom as I've seen Little be I have also seen her try to kill chicks that belonged to the other hen. I may have to sleep in the coop the night I slide chicks under her so I can be there at the crack of dawn lol.

Post by **Killerbunny** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:19 pm

Yes I think Kenyas right. The chicks who are singles (or a lone female amongst male chicks) tend to be loners.

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Sun Apr 09, 2017 9:51 pm

Oh boy this didn't go well. I tried sneaking the only 2 chicks I got under this little girl tonight and she lost it. She was thrashing in the dark and just blindly spearing her beak at the babies. I know this because I shoved my hand in to block her lol. She calmed down finally (after I think the chicks stopped wiggling) and I was just about to exit when I heard chick peeps and there she went again. She threw a chick and that was it for me. So they are back in the incubator for the evening and she's still sitting on her egg. I don't know what I'm going to do now.

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Apr 13, 2017 5:07 pm

Well she has one chick. I couldn't take her egg away from her. She's so proud she lifted up to show me.