Adding baby chicks

[iluvu4uraqt20]

Question?!
My Hen had 2 eggs hatch out of 6. Since she was trying to brood on the 4 eggs that were un-hatchable, we decided to get some chicks and add them to her flock (taking out the eggs). We did a great job doing it, however there is one chick that she does not like AT ALL! She is trying to kill it.
Is there any secret way for us to change her mind on this? Any tricks, suggestions, etc.?

And I am wondering if the fact that her chicks are blonde or grey. The ones we added are either blonde or grey as well, but the one she is picking on is black. Does that have anything to do with it?

Thanks for your help. If we can't figure it out we have to bring her back to the farm where she came from and will have a fairly good life, but will be someones dinner in the end. We don't raise our flock for food, and I don't want to have to return her if I don't have to.

 

[lazy gardener]

It very well might. I've seen indication in my flock that birds of a certain color tend to stay together. My roo does not really like hens with barred patterns.

 

[azygous]

Here's a hair-brained idea. How about getting some yellow food dye and spraying the black chick? The effect would be a muted yellow gray, but probably would disguise the black enough where the chick might be accepted.

Of course, you would need to thoroughly blow-dry the chick until it's fluffy and dry.

It's something I'd be willing to try, and it would be harmless to the chick as long as you keep the chick warm until you can get her dried out.

 

[iluvu4uraqt20]

This actually does not sound like a bad idea....I googled how to dye a chicken organically and it lead me back to this website!
I read that someone took a cotton ball and dipped it in the food coloring and that's what they used to dye their chicks.
Totally willing to try this!
Thanks

 

[iluvu4uraqt20]

I really do think it's the color of the chick.....

 

[azygous]

Oh, absolutely, chickens are very receptive to color differences. I've seen it in my own flock over these years of keeping chickens. I have a small group of Sussex that were brooded together five years ago. Three are a dark mahogany while the fourth is a lighter shade. From their first year, the darker ones hung together and picked on the lighter one until last year it got so bad, Judy was so pecked and chewed, her feathers resembled a furry rabbit.

I took her away from them and put her with the main flock since all she was doing was hiding out from them in the coop. She's been with the main flock a year and looks much better, but she still misses her tormentors and acts lonely. But she no longer hides out in the coop.

Let us know how this experiment works out. I'm constantly fascinated by chicken psychology.