Broody Hen taking on more hatched chicks?

[preppingmom]

I could use advice. On Monday, I went out to the coop to see that my hen hatched 1 out of 5 eggs she had been sitting on. This is the first time we have done this and hen is a first-time mom. Little chick looked great and was all dry and perky when I saw it that afternoon. Just a few hours later the chick jumped down to the floor of the coop and the day after was in the yard. (hens are free-ranged). Now the chick is all over the yard with mom each day. On Monday, once I saw that she wasn't returning to the nest, I called a friend and got an incubator for the other 4 eggs. Now, to back up a bit, I started with 3 eggs under the broody hen, but after a week saw there were 5 and read that I was supposed to mark them, so I did and stayed more on top of things from there. Anyways, one of these eggs hatched today and we have a chick. I am guessing it is WAY too late to give this chick to the same hen? It seems like if I could do it, it wouldn't be this soon since the baby that hatched Monday is so far ahead in development. The mother hen is a feisty chicken, probably at the top of the order, and is intimidating so I am scared she might harm it, even though she has been a good mom to the one chick she has. We have everything we need to take care of the chick as we have done it before. I am hoping though that one of the 3 eggs left hatches so that we don't have to raise the chick alone if it can't go with the broody hen. I have no other hens that I can see fulfilling the role either unfortunately.

Any ideas?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

You are correct, your hen probably will not accept the new baby. Keep it in a brooder, and hope that more eggs hatch. If not, I think best to take the older chick away from mom and put it in the brooder, too.

 

[preppingmom]

Thank you. I would hate to take that little chick from its momma. Mom seems to be doing a good job and a usually ornery hen is focused on something besides being ornery lol!

Praying I get one more hatch out of the batch!

 

[Vickischics]

It would be best to remove the chick from the mama and then raise two or more chicks together. Chicks need to have "at least" one other companion. Raising a single chick only to attempt to integrate it into an established flock later doesn't usually go very well for the single one. With at least two, you have a better chance with flock intregration.
Good luck with whichever you decide.