Can I fool My Hen?

Missy M · #1 02/15/13, 04:42 PM

I have 5 eggs in the incubator that have chicks in them. Started with 10, but 5 were duds. This is my first attempt to hatch.

Anyway, my question. Could I put these under a hen about day 19 or 20 and let her finish the hatch.

I have a hen that will raise anything, I swear she would hatch a puppy if she could fit it under her bottom.

This summer she took a chick who's mom refused to sit with it at night after the first two weeks. All night she would put this chick under her along with one chick she hatched of her own and in the day time the chick would go with it's own mom and she would take her own. Then at night she would sit in the corner on the floor and the chick would get under her. She did this till it was big enough to roost.

Would she possibly take the eggs and bond with the chicks if she had the eggs as they started to pip.

Anyone ever done this successfully.

She is not currently broody. They eggs are only at day 8.

mekasmom · #2 02/15/13, 05:03 PM

A hen that is not broody will not sit on eggs for a couple of days. At least, not in my experience. On the other hand, if you lock her in a very enclosed area with some golf balls as fake eggs, if she sits on them, after a few days you might switch out with your eggs.

LittleRedHen · #3 02/15/13, 06:35 PM

Even if you put them under her as they were hatching, you cannot trick her into mothering them. She will just run off. It only works if she is broody already. You can hope for a hen to go broody real fast lol.

Laura Workman · #4 02/16/13, 04:56 PM

Zong had a great suggestion. Make her a private nestbox in a private area with some "eggs" in it. If anything will make a hen go broody, that's it. Once she's broody, you can tuck the eggs under and she'll hatch and raise them. Alternatively, once she's broody, you can hatch the eggs in the incubator, then one night, switch the golf ball eggs out and put the chicks under her. In the morning, she'll think her eggs all hatched, and will be a happy mother to your chicks.

VA Susan · #5 02/16/13, 05:06 PM

Hope she will go broody. Let us know if it works.

aart · #6 02/17/13, 07:41 AM

Just curious, why not just finish them in the incubator?

Are these eggs you gathered from your flock or purchased?