Chicken hatched duck eggs - rejected odd colored one

[Chelseaed12]

Hi there, hoping someone else has experienced this and might have some advice. My chicken and my duck tag teamed hatching some duck eggs. The chicken hatched 9 ducklings. 8 were black and one was brown. For some reason, Dottie the chicken rejected the brown one and pecked its head til it bled. We separated baby and have it brooding alone for safety. I can get the baby to drink but it won’t eat and acts very sleepy. I am not really sure what to do and wondered if anyone had any experience with this that could lend some advice?

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC.
It's unfortunately not that uncommon for a hen to reject a baby that looks different than the others.
Is the duck still setting? Have any of her eggs hatched?

 

[Miss Lydia]

One of my Muscovy ducks attacked her duckling as it was hatching I had to take it away from her. You just never know what goes on in the mind of birds. Thinking the same you maybe able to tuck it under your duck is you can move the chicken I’d let mama duck raise the ducklings.

 

[Chelseaed12]

Welcome to BYC.
It's unfortunately not that uncommon for a hen to reject a baby that looks different than the others.
Is the duck still setting? Have any of her eggs hatched?

The duck hatched one so far and is still sitting on a pile. I know that my chicken can’t be a good mom to the ducklings, even though she has been so far, but she won’t be able to show them what they need to know. I am wondering if I should separate her and let the duck take over. This is a first for me, having babies hatch at all, let alone a chicken hatch ducklings.

 

[Chelseaed12]

One of my Muscovy ducks attacked her duckling as it was hatching I had to take it away from her. You just never know what goes on in the mind of birds. Thinking the same you maybe able to tuck it under your duck is you can move the chicken I’d let mama duck raise the ducklings.

That’s what I was thinking, wait til night time and move the chicken to a separate area where the babies can’t see her then tuck the ducklings under mama duck and see how that works. Just hoping it doesn’t upset the babies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Let us know how it goes.