Will a non-broody hen raise my incubator chicks?

[Stacey Adele]

Hi!
I have some chicks who should, hopefully, be hatching tomorrow. One has pipped already and some more are cheeping. I have a brooder ready to go. I am wondering though, if I could just put a hen in the brooder and stick the eggs under her and then she'll raise them? Or wait until they're hatched and dry and then put her in the brooder and stick the chicks under her. And would it be better to do this in the house, or in the coop where the hen is used to living? I've seen videos of this online, but will it really work?? Does anyone have experience with this?
Thank you!!

 

[FrostRanger]

Nope, if you try she will most likely injure or even kill them. Very very few hens will accept chicks when they aren't broody, I would raise them yourself

 

[NewcoopNewpoop]

I read one thread where their hen would accept chicks even if not broody. But she was a rarity and had raised chicks before.
It sounds like it depends on the hen but mostly the answer is no, they will most likely harm the chicks.

 

[Backroadlogic]

99.9% will not. Like the previous poster said there are exceptions but generally no.

 

[Debbie292d]

We did it. But silkies are an exception to the rules.

Marsha here is broody more than she's not. I had two chicks I wanted to keep that I had to separate out from the others for sale so put them in the new brooder, but had no heat in that one yet. I got the wild idea to bring Marsha in. She went to work immediately showing them food on the paper toweling.