Chook Me!

Do you feed chicks that hatch under a mother hen?

I have a broody hen I am going to put chicks under - should I feed them or let her take care of them??? I have raised chickens before I know how to feed them and water them but, I have never had a hen hatch chicks or put chicks with a hen I have just raised them by hand when I bought them a day old.

Public Comments

1. there is chick food... it is ground fine... the mom will teach them to eat it... and there is a small feeder too that will keep the feed clean.
2. You will still need to feed them. Mom does not produce milk like mammals or regurgitate anything for them. They hatch with the ability to feed themselves. Most Farm stores sell a chick starter feed crumble that will get them off to a good start. Good Luck!
3. I use medicated starter feed on mine for hte first month or so then move to a grower ration and then to a layer feed. Water just like the adults. Just make sure the little ones can reach the food and water. I have a hen who hatches out a couple of nests each year.
4. Baby chicks are 'precocious'. The hen does not, and does not have to, feed the chicks. She broods and protects them, they feed themselves. Your difficulty may come in the form of non-acceptance from the hen. Chickens are not the brightest candle on the cake but they know when they've hatched chicks and when someone shoves chicks under them. She may accept them or she may attack them. I have had success with deception. Give this broody hen a nest. She should sleep in the nest, not on a roost. At night, quietly slip the chicks under her. If she wakes up with the chicks, she assumes they're supposed to be there.