Can a hen raise a single chick?

[conure]

A broody hen is taking care of a single chick. It's siblings sadly passed away. I have seen that you should not have a single chick in a brooder, but I have not really seen something with a chicken. In my town there are no stores where you can buy chicks, and I don't know anyone who has them either. I'm just wondering if a chicken can raise a single chick?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Absolutely.
As long as the chick has a mom, it doesn't matter how many chicks there are.
I've had hens raise single chicks. They were normal.
However one time I had 8 pullets go broody together in a community nest. They kept stealing each other's eggs. When incubation was over, only one chick hatched. They all tried to mother the chick. They probably made it psychotic. I don't know why I didn't keep track of that chick to see how it turned out.

 

[Cheeki]

My very first broody raised a single chick. They do just fine.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A broody hen is taking care of a single chick. It's siblings sadly passed away. I have seen that you should not have a single chick in a brooder, but I have not really seen something with a chicken. In my town there are no stores where you can buy chicks, and I don't know anyone who has them either. I'm just wondering if a chicken can raise a single chick?

The idea of not having a single chick in a brooder is if they are without a hen. Having a hen negates all the recommendations for brooding chicks.
The mother, regardless of how many chicks is always the best option.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I agree with the previous posters!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have a friend who hatched out 3 baby chick his hen left some eggs in nest, I bopped over to his house and scooped up the eggs she walked away from and popped them in an incubator. One hatched 5 days after and one just today day 7. The older chick I have had in a separate cage with 3 week olds. She could see them and talk to them but they could not get to her. She went with a broody in the evenings. I didn't want the broody to have her full time until the other egg hatched. Tonight I will put them in with broody and have a separate area for the new chicks and a broody in the morning.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Staggered hatches happen when a hen isn't alone. Other hens will continue to contribute eggs for days. They will be delayed and it would be very uncommon for a hen to stay with unhatched eggs when she has live chicks to care for.

If a hen is brooding with a flock, one needs to mark all eggs under her and remove volunteers or move the hen to other housing.

 

[conure]

Thank you for all the answers!

 

[gimmie birdies]

the upper chick is on day 4 and the lower chick is just 2 days old. very friendly. They are 1/2 ancona, and a mystery rooster. From white eggs. I was going to give them to a ma hen, but it is really windy today, and tonight will be windier. They have been spending the night with the mom though. Tomorrow will be 87 with a light breeze.