Question about broody hens

[Mary Coleman]

Okay so today my chicks under my silkie are hatching!

But I also have an australorp that has become broody. Yesterday evening when i took her off her nest she was clucking and picking up food off of the ground as if she had chicks

. So today she was continuing this behavior and is now sitting on a nest with no eggs. So what I am wondering is will she and the silkie take care of the chicks together if given the chance? or will the silkie be aggressive towards her?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Some hens will share, some wont. Ive had hens fight over the babies. Were they sitting together?

 

[Mary Coleman]

No they were not sitting together also 2 out of 7 have hatched so far 1 hatched yesterday and 1 today how much longer should I wait and determine if the rest will hatch? I'm not sure what day it is but around 21

 

[donrae]

Let momma decide when they're done hatching. When she leaves the nest, that's it, clean out anything left and the empty shells.

You'll just have to watch them and see how things go. I've had both ends--hens that brooded together and co-mothered, and a hen that was determined to kill another hen's chicks. Or, you could give the australorp eggs and see if she wants to brood!

 

[Mary Coleman]

Ok the only problem is I only have young bantam roosters and I don't think they accomplish fertilizing the larger hens eggs very successfully so I don't really think that the eggs would hatch. The eggs that are hatching now are fertile because I HAD a standard rooster but he is now gone.

 

[Zaxby's2]

You can try it since some people have had success with bantam X standard. But you might just want to break her since the chances aren't good :/

 

[happyhens1972]

I have often put newly hatched chicks from one hen under another one in order to break the brooding and let them get on with the job they are yearning to do. I always do it at night but in order to stop the chick bonding to its natural mother, it should be removed as soon as possible after hatch, kept warm and comfortable and then snuck quietly under the broody when it gets dark. The chick will naturally stay in the warm, the broody will get up next morning thinking what a wonderful job she's done and all is well! I have never had this method fail. I would not risk taking any of the chicks that the silkie has already bonded with but if she has any more hatch, they will be ripe for adoption!

 

[Happy Chooks]

You can candle the eggs tonight and see if anymore are viable. Also tap on the eggs and listen for cheeping.