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Chick being accepted by another hen (help!)

Discussion in 'Raising Baby Chicks' started by 5Chickens, Jul 8, 2011.

Most Liked Posts
  1. Jul 8, 2011 #1
    5Chickens

    5Chickens Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Dec 13, 2007
    I have a hen (Hen A) who hatched out one chick(2 Days Old). My other hen(Hen B) hatched out a chick, but it was majorly picked on by her and the siblings. So I put the one day old chick who was being picked on under Hen A. Her first reaction was she looked at him, let him go under her and she just kinda watched him and pecked him (not too hard) between 4-6 times. She hasnt pecked him again in about 10 minutes. He is comfortably sitting under her and she seems content. Does everything look/sound right or should I take him away from her since she pecked him? I guess what I am asking are what are the signs of..

    1: A hen refusing a chick
    2: A hen adopting a chick and being content about it.

    thanks
     
  3. Jul 8, 2011 #2
    needtohatch

    needtohatch Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Feb 27, 2009
    Hart Co
    Quote:It sounds like it will be fine. If she were to keep pecking at it or moving away from it then I would wait till night and slip it under her then and when she wakes up she will think she hatched another one.

    I do this a lot as I have had a lot more hens sit than I have good places for them. When two hens hatch around the same time and one has just a few chicks I will even it out or just put them all under one hen. I have also done this with chicks hatched out of the bator. I just don't put eggs (or use fake eggs) under the hen and then slip the bator chicks I want to keep under her and then I don't sell the ones I wanted. I have only ever had one hen not take a chick and I think it was because she had all dark chicks and I tried to add a light yellow one and she knew it did not look right. I have had chicks refuse a new hen. They hatched under a not so good mom (banty who was afraid of her own shadow) and were about a week old when I tried to put them with a good mama but they had imprinted on their mom and kept tring to find her even thought the new hen would have taken them.
    Good luck!
     

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