Advice on Broody Barnevelder Adopting Hatchery Chicks?

[Oregoncoastchick]

So I’m a fairly new chicken mom, got my girls last summer. I have my first broody hen (Marguerite the Barnevelder) and I was starting to try to break her but then I realized our chicks from McMurray are coming in exactly 3 weeks. Now im considering trying to get her to adopt them but i am a little concerned about her harming the chicks. Is that super common or is it more likely she'll be fine with them?

 

[NatJ]

I think there is a good chance it will work, but there are never guarantees.

Since she just went broody, I suggest you think about where you want her to raise the chicks. If you want her in a different pen, move her now, and let her sit on fake eggs until the chicks arrive.

Moving a hen will sometimes break her broodiness, sometimes not. So if you move her now, either she breaks or she doesn't, and you know the answer well before the chicks arrive.

 

[Farmlife16]

There are lots of good threads here on BYC about broody hens adopting chicks. I gave one of my broody hens a few chicks to adopt last summer and it worked well. The only difficulty with the adoptive process was that although the hen accepted the chicks, the chicks didn't follow the hen around as well as chicks that are hatched underneath a broody hen. Just something to think about..

I introduced the chicks to the hen by slipping them (one at a time) underneath her at night (this is recommended by a lot of people here on BYC). The goal is to create as little disturbance for the hen as possible. If the chicks and the hen are quiet, then that is a good sign. I made sure to check them first thing in the morning and I watched the hen/chicks to make sure that the hen was not pecking them aggressively.

FYI: If you decide to move your broody hen, there is a better chance of success if you do it at night

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

How's it going over there? Did your new chicks arrive?

ETA: I see your f/u thread. Yay!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/successful-chick-adoption-🥰.1573904/