Ameraucana Breeders Club
The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club => Ameraucana Marketplace => Topic started by: Guest on May 21, 2007, 04:04:34 PM
-
Hi, all;
I have a ton of broody hens and I thought I\'d put them to work. Does anyone within 150 miles of Gulfport, MS have any eggs or young chicks I could buy?
Thanks;
Amy
-
young chicks
Broody hens should make good setters and mother hens, but don\'t think they will accept young chicks as their own. I\'ve heard that people have tried it without success. Doe\'s anyone out there have personal experience trying it and having it work?
-
Depending on the mood of the mother hen, it can be done, but it is very risky for the chicks. Oftentimes the mother hen will turn on them and pick them to death. Best results can be expected when the chicks are introduced after dark - but even that is no guarantee.
-
OK, but does anyone have any chicks or eggs in South Mississippi?
-
This spring I purchased eggs for my science class (3rd grade). I had a broody hen so I also put 4 eggs under her. (The rest were hatched in my incubator.) She only hatched 3, but I successfully introduced eight more 1-2 day old chicks to her with only one small problem. I introduced them to the broody hen at night and carefully put them under her. She gladly accepted all but the last one. He was very active and I left him in the nest next to her. I kept a close eye on them and noticed hostility. I took the chick out and tried again the next night. This time I place the chick under her wing and she did accept it as well.