Can baby chick be separated from the hen?

[Jesusfreakmir12]

Just today, one of the eggs that my hen was brooding hatched! Is it alright to separate it from the hen (put it in a box with a heat lamp)? I'm just worried it'll get hurt because 2 other of my hens like to sit in the nest box that the brooding hen sits on. Also, it can't get out of the nest box to get food and water because the next box is quite tall. The brooding hen also doesn't seem interested in it. So is it alright to separate it? Thanks.

 

[SIMZ]

If the hen that hatched it isn't interested in it (and is leaving it) then you could raise it. Do you have any other chicks to raise with it?

If the mother is taking care of the baby, maybe you could set them up somewhere on ground level that is protected a bit from the others?

 

[donrae]

I would leave them all alone for a day or two to be sure everyone that's going to hatch has hatched. That baby doesn't need food or water for the first 48 hours--it just "ate" an entire egg yolk! When you're sure the hatch is done, I'd remove the hen and her babies to a box on the floor where she can make a nest for them.

Of course you CAN separate chicks and brood them, but if you have a perfectly good hen, why do all that yourself? She's the best momma they could have. She may not act interested now, they usually still act broody until a day or so after chicks hatch to let later hatching chicks have a chance, too. Plus, watching a momma hen mother her babies is just the coolest thing!

 

[BarredRockGirls]

im brooding 6 bantams from various hens . because .... there were 14 chicks and the mama hens started killing the other hens babies then the other chickens & rooster were being mean to the lil babies and i just had enough of " letting nature do its thing " and hoping they'd all work it out - only to walk in the pen and find a dead baby

. so i said ENOUGH! and took the remaining babies. they are all safe and sound now and about 3.5 weeks old. theres another broody sitting on a clutch and as soon as she hatches em ill be taking those too. NO MORE BABIES DYING! ugh . Good luck!