To hen or to brood light, questions about day old chicks

[Speckled brown]

Hello all! This will be my first year raising chickens. I currently have three hens: a showgirl silkie, a barred rock, and a welsummer. They are all about 1 year old. None have ever had chicks.

In September I am receiving 16 days old chicks from Murray McMurray hatchery. The majority are red stars and speckled Sussex.

I would like to raise the chicks with the hens instead of a under a brooder.

The showgirl silkie shows signs of being an excellent mother. She's also very clever and has a sweet and friendly disposition. She is incredibly broody at the moment. Because she is not laying right now , occasionally she adopts the barred rocks egg to keep warm.

But I'm thinking even this little super mom couldn't fit 16 chicks under her. So now I'm here looking for advice from experience hands

I do have a heat lamp and setup ready for chicks if they and "mom" don't work out

The barred rock has not become broody on her own yet. I've heard that sometimes you can encourage them.

I don't think the welsummer will participate. A dog attacked barred rock at their last home, and while she is fine, the welsummer has been nervous ever since. I've also read they're not terribly pre-dispositioned to motherhood.

this might sound silly, but are chickens like other animals where you can show them babies and sometimes they adopt them on their own?
In all of my books about chickens, it says to swap an egg she is sitting on with a baby chick while she cannot see it happen. I'm just worried that the barred rock won't be broody.

Is there a way I can get her to become broody? Is there anybody out there who successfully has barred rocks to go broody when they need them to?
all the literature says she should be a good mom

Would the barred rock and the silkie be able to raise all 16 chicks? (6? for silky, 10? for barred rock?

If some chicks are raised under a hen and some chicks are raised under the brooder and later they are introduced to each other will there be any problem? will there be any difference between the two?

Okay I've gushed out the majority of my questions

Thank you for any advice you've got

 

[featheredplanets]

Unless your hens are actually broody when the chicks come, they won’t spontaneously adopt them. It’s quite a delicate process, it’s best if the hens have sat for a few weeks then you can put the chicks under at night, not that it has a definite success rate either.
There’s no way to induce broodiness. You can let eggs pile up and keep them stress free, but it’s a natural thing that may or may not happen, it can’t really be encouraged.

I’d go by raising them under heat until closer to the time, then if your hens are broody, you can give them chicks.

Chicks raised by hand tend to be more tame than ones raised by hens. There should be no issues if your hens raise some and you raise some.

 

[Speckled brown]

Can do! All of what you said is very reassuring thank you