adoption of week old chick- unheard of?

[Osono]

I still can't quite believe it, but a week old chick was accepted by the mother hen, and also accepted her.
My bantam easter egger hatched out 8 eggs, and one that pipped but couldn't hatch. We brought it inside and helped it out carefully. It had bad spraddle leg so we couldn't reunite it. I kept it under a brooder plate, with vetrap hobble to fix the legs. It took almost a week for his legs to be well enough to take it off. He was alone, so cheeped constantly if we didn't hold him. I took him out to mingle with the chicks and see what happened. He looked exactly the same as half her brood, so she couldn't tell he wasn't one of her regular crowd. I watched them awhile, and he actually went under her to warm up with the rest of the chicks, several times. I went out to check and he's still under her with them. Has this ever happened before, that reuniting them so late went well? The only thing was at one point he followed our silkie roo so I separated the family into their own run. Also, he pecked at the other chicks sometimes so that they cheeped out at it. Not sure why.

 

[Saveria]

I have found that most moms are very accepting and just excited to have any and all chicks. I have heard stories of moms rejecting chicks, so you have to watch, but I have had only success stories. Another person on here said that they were able to graft surprisingly old chicks to a mother hen. I think it is in their instincts to just accept each other more often than not.

If you ever have one alone again, it is good to put them with a friend or at least a mirror so they don't imprint on you. Their need for a flock is so strong.