G'day from Glen Innes

Hi, I'm a brand new chicken owner and approximately eight weeks ago I bought three Australorp pullets from a local feed store. They went into a coop/run combo that you can buy off eBay. The pullets were bought for eggs and have been exceedingly good layers. About four weeks ago the smallest pullet starting going broody so I asked the feed store if he had some viable eggs for her to sit on as I didn't have any set up to de-broody a broody chicken. So I got six eggs - two days ago two hatched. One chick survived, the other died the first night (found the body under the broody hen). Three of the eggs vanished without a trace (I suspect they weren't viable and broody ate them), and the last egg was abandoned and when carefully shook - sounded liquid inside, so it was binned. The sole chick (which I believe came from a Black Orpington rooster) seems to be in good health - running around, eating chick food that I have in a small dish and throw onto the floor of the coop. It also gobbled up small bugs that I brought in for broody from the compost heap. It has to navigate around the other two hens (which are big birds) when they come into the coop to lay/roost for the night. It got a peck from one, and broody has stood on it a couple of times - but it seems to bounce back, and when not foraging for food on the floor of the coop, will hide in her feathers, or sit on her shoulder. I've no idea of the sex of the little chick or if I should be doing anything else. Broody seems today to have developed a bit of a limp which I hope will correct itself in time (probably from brooding 3+ weeks in the coop).

Below is the new chick. Named it Thor given that it hatched during a thunderstorm. Hope it's not a rooster because then it will need to be given away as the council won't let us keep roosters in town.

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Cute little chick, hope it turns out to be a girl for you!
Some people do let broodys raise chicks with the flock from day one and it works out fine. If the other hens are leaving them alone and the broody is attentive to the chick... Just make sure the chick has access to chick food (if you are feeding the flock Layer food, you want to put them on Chick food or Flock Raiser type food until the chick is four months old or so) and water (watch that the water sources are not so deep the chick can get in and drown) and the hen has a sheltered place to brood/sit with the chick that the chick can get to without a problem.

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Sorry for your loss!

Cute little chick you have there! I hope she is she! As she ages you can keep us posted with pics so we can help guess gender here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/15/what-breed-or-gender-is-this

Broody is very attentive to the chick. She trusts me but raises her feathers if her sisters go anywhere near her. She tends to move out of the nesting boxes during the day and sits in the corner with the chick wedged in the corner behind her, or under her feathers. Have got the commercial chick food, but the broody and her sisters eat it as well as the chick. All three pullets get greens in the morning (zucchini or cucumber slices, lettuce, spinach etc) and the chick likes pecking away at the zucchini and cucumber (especially when I sprinkle chick food on the top) - at night the three girls get leftovers like cooked wholemeal rice/spagetti with oats and sunflower seeds, and I noticed the little chick was stealing one or two rice grains from broody. Along with the bugs it gets a bit of a mixed diet - not just the straight commercial chick feed.

Welcome to BYC! That is one cute little chick you have there, love the name too. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Nice to have you here and thanks for sharing the pictures.

Welcome to Backyard Chickens. What an adorable chick., lots of personality already. Do you happen to be from Australia? If so , BYC has a thread "Australia, six states and one funny little Island.,"

Hi

Glad you could join the flock! Sorry to hear you lost a chick. You have a lovely chick there In Thor. Hope it does turn out to be a girl for you. Enjoy BYC and all the chicken chat

Welcome to BYC. I'm glad you joined our community!

Your chick is very cute! I hope it turns out to be a lovely pullet.

Hello and welcome to BYC!

I'm glad you joined our community!

Cute chick! Hopefully, it is a pullet.