Help on options for lone chick survivor

[NJG6559]

hello, I just had hatch day for 4 eggs and only one chick hatched out. The little girl (?) is still in the incubator and I’m not sure what I should do.

1. I have a broody Orpington at the moment, sitting in a nest box that 3 other hens also use. Is this a good option and how would I go about trying to see if she would accept the little one? Would the broody and chick need to be moved into a separate area? Where do I put food and water since the broody is up off the ground? Never did this before.
2. It is Friday and I have 6 chicks coming in the mail 5 days from now. Better to hold the solo chick alone in a brooder and wait til the others arrive to let her join?
3. I have 7 four week old Cochins and flower hens in a brooder, is this an option?
4. oOther suggestions.

Thank you.

 

[azygous]

You do have a lot going on. How long has the broody been on the nest? That may determine if giving her a single chick will work. But if you give her this chick, she may then refuse to accept the newer chicks arriving in five days.

No one can predict what a broody will do. While the decision is ultimately up to you, I think I would brood the single chick myself and then place it with the six new chicks when they come. Whether you brood the chicks yourself or try grafting all seven to the broody is a decision only you can make. I think I would be inclined to try it.

I had a somewhat similar situation several years ago with a single chick hatching under a broody and five new mail order chicks arriving a couple days later.

I tried giving the new chicks to the broody, and she rejected them, so I took her single chick away from her and brooded it along with the new ones myself. But you should not consider that as your only option. You may arrive at a decision that works better for you.

 

[NJG6559]

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer, azygous, Our Orpington has been broody for about 3weeks. We’ve been trying to bring her out of it unsuccessfully. Each day we remove her and bring her to where the others are foraging but after some eats and drinks, a dirt bath, a couple hours pass and she returns to her nest. We take the eggs out and she just lays another. The others sometimes lay eggs in the same box as her.

I guess I would like to hear this little one will be ok waiting for the mail orders in 5 days and then I can keep them all together.

I don’t plan on trying to let the Orpington raise the mail orders because I’m not sure what she would do and if I raise them inside for a couple weeks they will be tamer. I just feel bad with this single chick in perceived loneliness.

 

[azygous]

It's all doable. The single chick will be fine for the few days until the other chicks arrive. Putting them all together will not be a problem. The older chick will probably greet the new ones with a little peck on the heads which is normal and shouldn't turn into a big deal.

It's highly unusual for a broody to continue to lay eggs after she begins the three-week incubation period, eggs or no eggs. Probably another hen laid the egg you thought was the broody's.

You can leave the broody alone for the time being, and try to graft all the chicks to her when the new ones arrive. The broody will be at the right stage of the broody cycle to make grafting chicks a higher probability. Or just allow her to run out her hormones and forget trying to either graft the chicks or break the broody, which isn't really feasible at this late stage.

As for the chicks not being friendly if raised by a broody, it depends on how friendly the broody is. When I have broody raised chicks, I handle and cuddle the broody along with one or two chicks at a time. The broody is very receptive to this handling and the chicks accept it as desirable, too. My broody raised chicks are among my friendliest.

 

[NJG6559]

Azygous, thanks for the added info. If I try to graft the chicks to the broody, should I have water and food up there in the hut (access is by climbing up ramp) or should I move her to say, a box on the ground with food and water? Thanks again, I’ll let you know how things go.

 

[azygous]

She may be able to teach the chicks to use the ramp if you make it chick friendly. I have a long ramp coming down from my coop where the broody and chicks are housed. I tack a hand towel to the ramp to make a non-slip surface for tiny chick feet. They very quickly learn to navigate the ramp.

You do need to make food and water accessible to the chicks so the broody can teach them to eat and drink. I place these items inside the coop and out in their run, too. My broody usually brings her chicks out of the coop for the entire day beginning around day four or five.

 

[NJG6559]

Update, our broody Orpington seems to have accepted the chick. At least she hasn’t killed or seemed aggressive to it. She is still all puffed up and the chick is under her, making nice sounds.

 

[BreanneRN]

Just keep watching to make sure she sees that the chick gets adequate food and water...

 

[NJG6559]

So far so good. Thanks for all your help, I learned some new things as a result of this situation. Here’s a picture showing all is well.

 

[NJG6559]

Hello again everyone. My mail order arrived today and instead of receiving 6 chicks I got 20! Well and good but not capable of raising 20 in the tub I use so I thought I’d try adding 6 to the broody who accepted the sole survivor chick. I’m not sure what to look for in acceptance. She seems content enough and is sitting on them but if a couple or one come out, she pecks them enough to get them to scream. The sole survivor chick roams about at will but is only days older and never gets pecked at. Is that what hens do, meanly peck at chicks to get them to behave? They got all stirred up when a couple of our other girls showed up and broody got all upset, the chicks were scattered and she was snapping at them, she seems to go for the back of the neck. I helped them back to under her and she’s settled on them quietly now. I’m afraid she’ll kill one.