Help Hen pecking baby chick

[cheeseball]

I have a black Sussex Hen someone gave me,She insisted on laying eggs in the same box where my silkie Hen was sitting ,so I let her and left two of her eggs and gathered the rest of hers ,after about a week or so she started sitting also and all the baby chicks hatched out (14) the last one to hatch was one of hers(black Sussex ). I noticed today that she was pecking at the baby chick and wouldn't let it eat,it is allot lighter in color than the rest,and I haven't noticed her doing it to the others,should I separate her from the chick? Anyone know why she would be doing this?the Roo is a silkie also I don't know what these two chicks are going to look like,but their awfully cute now.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chicken society is in no way politically correct. This is normal chicken behavior. Do what ever you are willing to do to save the chick in question. If the sulkie hen has chicks of her own you may try to give the chick to her and she may accept it. Slipping it under the silkie after dark may improve the odds that she will adopt it.

As a general rule hens will tolerate the smaller and younger chicks of other hens and drive out or kill those chicks of other hens because she sees them as a threat to her own young, like chicks that are a different color or that are older or larger than her own. Chickens could care less about color, it is the difference that matters. Good luck.

 

[cheeseball]

Thanks ! The Silkie mom will accept them all ,they are all together,the BS will accept all the silky chicks, I only have one brooder, I'm separating the Blk S tonight,,I'll try to section off part of the pen tomorrow ,and separate them, gotta keep her away from the chick it is my fav. So cute!