# chicken question- foster chicks



## squshnut (Sep 5, 2011)

is there away to give fertile eggs to a broody hen. I would have to buy the eggs for her to hatch.

Or would my hen foster day old chicks? She has raised chicks on her own before.


----------



## Indiana_Jones (Nov 15, 2011)

Some of our hens will do both. When we have a broody hen who has stopped laying we stick fertilized eggs under her and she will sit on them until they hatch. The hen will figure they are hers and act just like a momma.

We have also had good luck sticking day-old chicks under a broody hen.

If the hen rejects the eggs or the chicks we chop her head off. If our hens don't lay eggs they quickly become supper.


----------



## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

We have often used Bantams as surrogate sitters for our hens that don't seem to have the patience to sit still for 3 weeks. Works quite well.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I've had them sit others' eggs, but never tried with already hatched chicks... it could've happened without my knowledge tho... :dunno: :sssh:


----------

