Good work MountainMom and Betsy! It must be nice to have that all done.
I'm a bit conflicted about keeping one of my CX. I have one really small female, who can't be more than 3 lbs at 6+ weeks. I would kind of like to keep her but . . .
For starters, I'm a bit overrun with hens as it is. We were originally shooting for 8:1 hen to rooster ratio. But, we wound up with 10 healthy hens from our first order of layers. Then, when two new hens hatched this spring, we couldn't bear to part with those either. So we are at 12:1 now and I'm worried with winter coming there are already going to be a bit cramped in the coop as it is.
Second, I'm worried about how she will integrate with the established flock. They are in side-by-side runs, so they can see each other, but don't range together. Maybe our rooster would protect her, but it's only a guess. Also, I don't think she would be able to fly up to the roosts, which are 3 feet off the ground. I would have to try to make a little sub-perch. And, that's assuming she want to go into the coop at all at night. I suspect she will want to sleep in the outside shelter that she's used to, but with only one chicken that's going to be too cold.
My head says to just process her with the rest, but my heart would kind of like to give her a chance.
Before I put hens in with an existing flock, I always allow the rooster in to "meet" the gals and to claim them. He has always protected them when I put them in with the others. I do it slowly over a few days. They're together in the yard but separated at night and then finally all together in the coop.