Complicated Dynamic (Aren't they all?)

[cosmoguidry]

I have an existing flock of one rooster and 11 hens; mixture of Brahmas, Barred Rock, and Easter Eggers. I went to the store and picked up 6 more chicks to grow the flock and have them in a brooder right next to the existing coop. 4 days later I suspect one of my hens is brooding some eggs, which turns out to be just one egg. My wife convinces me to let her continue.
Now we are 3 weeks into the future at present day. I have my 11 old girls (and boy), 6 three-and-a-half weeks old chicks and 1 day-old chick. The mother is territorial of the coop and the entire flock (including the rooster) is relegated to half of the coop, while she and her baby occupy the other half. Problem is that that she is occupying the egg laying stations. Which of the following should I do?

1. Take the baby away from the mom and stick it in the brooder with the other 6 chicks?; I'm assuming mom will get over the loss of her chick and move on. The flock will be normal until I introduce the chicks in a few weeks.
2. Let the mom take care of the chick?; I'm assuming the mom will do all of the work, but I won't be assured that the chick is consuming chick crumbles or even getting water.
3. Set up a separate brooder for the lone chick?; This would be complicated because I don't have the room for this, but I'll do it if there is strong opinion here that this is the way to go.
4. Go get a couple of baby chicks and put them all together in 2nd brooder?; (Rolling-Eyes) More chicks? Really?

Any other choices I'm not thinking of?
Cosmo

 

[5Australorpasaures]

It's an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. Seriously though I would remove the chick and put it in with the others. It will become part of that crew. I have noticed over the yrs chicks raised together seem to form their own clique when free ranging. Not that they won't mix with the others it just seems they bond with their brood mates.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Don't remove the lone chick from it's mother. That would be a lot of work and a lot of stress for the mother and chick.

She will calm down as the chick grows. Personally I'd leave as is but if you must just put her with chick in a large dog crate or some makeshift area until the chick is two to three weeks old.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Any other choices I'm not thinking of?

The chick is one day old. Just hatched. I don't know what your facilities look like, coop and run. I don't know how hard it is for that chick to navigate the pop door. Does your flock spend all day every day outside except when the hens come in by themselves to lay like mine do? Lots of unknowns.

I agree with Egghead except that the two to three weeks may be excessive. Maybe not. Lock them up for a few days. If your outside area is large enough I'd keep the hen and chick locked up until the chick can navigate the pop door. Then I'd expect the hen to take the chick outdoors early in the day and keep it outside until bedtime. If space outside is tight she may do something differently. How long before the chick can navigate the pop door? It depends on what your pop door looks like. If your coop is elevated with a ramp it could be a bit harder. If you lock that hen and chick together that is where the hen will probably take the chick every night to sleep. Hopefully the coop is big enough you can put that crate or pen on the side of the coop away from the nests.

The chick is just a day old. My preferred option is to just let them go and work it out themselves. I have trouble envisioning that hen actually blocking the nests if the pop door is open and the other chickens can get outside. But I don't know how big your coop is or how it is laid out. This is why I like a coop and run bigger than the absolute minimum, it gives you more flexibility to deal with things that come up. I know that doesn't do you any good now.

Another possible option. Build a pen in the run that is predator proof and lock the hen and chick in there for two or three days and nights. If you have food and water available in the run the hen and chick probably will never go inside the coop until the hen is ready to take it to the roosts, probably at least a month. I do this when my coop is getting crowded. My coop gets crowded when I'm growing out chicks to butcher size. It usually works out that I've butchered enough for the coop to not be crowded when the broody is ready to move the chicks into the coop and to the roosts. Sometimes the broody abandons her chicks outside when she is ready to wean them and never takes them to the roost. I move the chicks in when I'm ready if they don't move themselves.

Let us know what you do and how it goes. I suspect there is a fair chanced the situation has already worked itself out by now if you did nothing.