[Russellintheundergrowth]

I have just hatched my first lot of chicks in a Corti incubator. They are Copper Black Marans and started emerging on Wednesday, seven so far....  
Then on Thursday I found that one of my Speckled Hens has gone broody.
Will I be able to sneak the chicks under her, to have her bring them up, instead of rearing them under a lamp myself. Or will she suspect and attack them? :twisted:
I wouldn't like to have them savaged by a wicked stepmother!  :evil:  
 Russ.

[Aunt Sally]

Pictures please  

[Bodger]

I'd say no.
The chicks have got to be young enough to imprint on their mother and the hen has got to have sat on the eggs long enough to believe that she should have some chicks.

The chicks need to be at least less than 24hours old and then they need to be slipped under the broody during the hours of darkness and the eggs taken away at the same time.

[muntjac]

as above but a trick i used with some english parts was to break a couple of the eggs ( remove the egg yolks etc and slip them under with the chicks)
 but otherwise i agree with bodger  

[Russellintheundergrowth]

Sorry Aunt Sally, I cannot work out how to post photos. I think "they" took offence when I said I had some pictures of a couple of chicks!
Thanks everyone else, I don't think I'll risk it then. I don't want to see what she might do to the fluffy little things. :shock:

[Aunt Sally]

We won't let you off that lightly Russ  

There's a help topic here:

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?p=100026#100026

[Russellintheundergrowth]

Copper Black Chicks 14/03/2008 as requested by wicked step-auntie

[Bodger]

Argh Marans Russell.  I've got some of those, mine are about a month old now. Some of them are supposed to be copper blacks like yours but the chap that I had them off had a variety of colours and a couple of them are coming through a very light blue cuckoo colour. I haven't taken a picture of them for a while, I'll have to get another one this afternoon to show you.

[Jellyhead]

Aaah bless, and yes Bodger get snapping

[Aunt Sally]

Thanks Russ.  They are adorable  

Aunty wicked ? - surely not  

[Russellintheundergrowth]

What do you mean by Argh, surely you mean Aah

[Aunt Sally]

They are adorable Russel

(I fixed the piccie for you.  TIP: use the IMG tag from under the picture on photobucket    )