Odd question

[BabeMj]

Hi I’m not sure about having hens raising chicks I’ve only ever bought hens and slowly introduced them into my flock.

I wanted to know is there a way to get my current hens to raise or take care of fertile eggs I can buy. I’m unable to have a rooster because it’s not permitted where I live. I also don’t want to buy fertile eggs and then my hens end up killing the chicks when they hatch. Please let me know if you guys have tried anything like this before. Thanks

 

[rosemarythyme]

The hen needs to be broody before you introduce the fertile eggs, or they will not sit on them or accept hatched chicks.

There's never any guarantees with living animals. Even a properly broody hen can accidentally or deliberately kill the chicks after hatch, or other flock members could do so.

Your odds of male chicks are roughly 50/50. What's your plan for males since you mentioned you cannot have them?

 

[BabeMj]

The hen needs to be broody before you introduce the fertile eggs, or they will not sit on them or accept hatched chicks.

There's never any guarantees with living animals. Even a properly broody hen can accidentally or deliberately kill the chicks after hatch, or other flock members could do so.

Your odds of male chicks are roughly 50/50. What's your plan for males since you mentioned you cannot have them?

That’s a good point I didn’t think of the male chicks. Is there any way to introduce young chicks into the flock? Would older hens treat them well and as there own or be more aggressive. Also baby chicks gender is unknown until much older? So am I better off just bribing young chickens into the flock?

 

[joshschickenflock]

That’s a good point I didn’t think of the male chicks. Is there any way to introduce young chicks into the flock? Would older hens treat them well and as there own or be more aggressive. Also baby chicks gender is unknown until much older? So am I better off just bribing young chickens into the flock?

I let my chicks out at 3 weeks with the hen. The other hens will probably peck the chick once or twice and the chick will know to run to its mom. You can tell male chicks gender around 6-8 weeks.

 

[BabeMj]

I let my chicks out at 3 weeks with the hen. The other hens will probably peck the chick once or twice and the chick will know to run to its mom. You can tell male chicks gender around 6-8 weeks.

What if the chicks don’t have there mom there?

 

[joshschickenflock]

What if the chicks don’t have there mom there?

the chicks will just run away.

 

[joshschickenflock]

the chicks will just run away.

I have 4 chicks out with their mama hen and she will challenge any rooster lol so nobody messes with her but when it gets dark she knows to go to her house and I lock her up.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That’s a good point I didn’t think of the male chicks. Is there any way to introduce young chicks into the flock?

If you set up for it you can have chicks living full time with the flock by roughly 4 weeks. I just moved my chicks into the coop tonight, exactly a month from the day I brought them home.

This is my brooding and integration article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/short-on-time-recycle-a-prefab-brooder.73985/

And this is my current thread for 2024's integration:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...egrate-along-from-feed-store-to-coop.1617102/

Would older hens treat them well and as there own or be more aggressive.

No the hens will not accept them as their own, which is why early integration requires specifically setting up for it. Chicks are viewed as newcomers and will have to work their way into the pecking order as they grow.

Also baby chicks gender is unknown until much older? So am I better off just bribing young chickens into the flock?

Depends on the breed and also how the chicks are labeled when you purchase them. Straight run chicks are supposed to be 50/50 chance of male or female, they're unsexed basically.

Sexed pullets are roughly 80-90% chance of being female.

There's also breeds/hybrids with sex linked traits, generally feather coloration or marks, that can be identified by sight as being definitely female or male.