[woodburner]

Do they have to be day old? Will the hen accept them if they are 2 or 3 days old? Broody is still sitting tight on dead eggs.

[Jellyhead]

Didnt you say she was a Silkie? If so I would give it a try personally, I did it with Dusty and she was fine. The chick was only a day old but she really didnt bat a feather

By the way, just being nosey, where in Essex are you? Just thats where I moved from to come out here

[ness]

Hi
I'm sorry I'm no expert, I have managed to do this successfully once!  I researched it on the internet and I believe the consensus is they will accept them up to 7 days old but the younger the better (for acceptance).  But there was a point made that the chicks are bit more robust if a couple of days old.
The four chicks my two hens accepted were different ages (up to 5 days old) and they were all accepted (but lost 2 to cocci  :cry: but two still going strong!   )
Hope this helps
Ness

[woodburner]

All's gone well. Three out of four still had that little yellow spot on their beaks.

ness, what breed were your chicks that succumbed to cocci?

jellyhead, I'm near Chelmsford. Lived in Colchester for a while too. Wish Iwas in France though.

[Bodger]

Its not only a matter of the broody accepting the chicks, the chicks have got to imprint on the hen as well. At three or four days you have left it too late.

[Bigblanch]

You'd be surprised how well they'll imprint up to 5 days old, i've had chickens for years up at my folk's place in north wales, at one stage we had some 50 chooks. Too many eggs to eat!

You need to bear in mind the chicks will stay with a protective mother for a good reason, they're vunerable, and they know it!.

We've had mother hens taken by foxes but the chicks survived, we've given these chicks to a broody who's about to hatch, and they all took.
Those chicks were about a week old.

Try it.

[woodburner]

As I posted earlier I have already done it. Most of them were two days old and possibly one was three days. (The owner mentioned one chick being a day earlier than the rest, not sure if it was one that I bought, but one didn't have the yellow spot anymore.)

Anyway, no trouble introducing them etc.

Just one thing seems odd: She isn't getting up to feed drink or poop nor taking the chicks to feed etc :? Nor is she letting them come out. She keeps scooping them back under her like eggs :?

[Bigblanch]

She may have assumed the chicks are newly hatched an have a belly full from the egg still.

How many days has she been sitting on them? and have you removed all the old eggs?

[woodburner]

Over 3 weeks, and yes, all eggs taken.
I wondered about the first day thing too, but she didn't stay sat like this, when she actually hatched some.
Could it be because they aren't actually hungry? They were fed and watered before I gave them to her. Maybe when they get hungry enough to start cheeping she will take them to food?

Edit: Meh, got fed up of worrying and wondering, and lifted her bodily. They all got up and pecked around for a bit, mum and one chick had some water, and they all gradually went back into the nest again. I guess mum will eventually get up to poo, just not today  :shock:

[Bigblanch]

Should have thought its unlikely for them to starve out of sheer stupidity, but chicken's aren't the smartest lol!

They should get up to feed when they need to. I'd not worry too much.