[humphreymctush]

I found a chick who was wandering about and the hen who must have hatched it was not interested in looking after it. What I did was shut it in a nest box with a hen that has only just started sitting. I cleared out her clutch of eggs. she seems happy and is brooding the chick. The hen has food and water in the box but I would like to let her out. Do people think this will work? I dont really want to set up a heat lamp for one bird.

[jameslindsay]

I have just had my first ever hen hatch 5 chicks and they are outside during the day in a run for safety and get locked up at night. Mother hens still spends a lot of her day sitting with her chicks under her so I don't see why your hen would be different. Restrict the amount of space they have and I am sure all would be fine.

[Sylvia]

If she didn't want the chick she would have let you know by now. I have put two week old chicks under a broody hen and she loved them!

[humphreymctush]

I've let them out and they are doing fine!