Help!

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

So I need some help. I have a chicken that hatched a baby. She only has one chick. For the first 3 weeks she was fine with the chick, but recently she is ignoring it. I go up to the coop every morning, afternoon, and night. The past few days in the morning the chick is screaming and she is ignoring it ( I have my dad open the run before he goes to work. I go out at 9am.) So I go out the baby is under a bush thats in the run screaming its head of for its mom, and she is in the coop on the roost or eating without a care in the world. Somtimes in the afternoon she is doing her own thing, but still taking care of her baby. Adding to the situation in the mornings there are other birds in the coop and run and without mothers protection the baby gets pecked. At night the mom and baby are snuggling. What should I do? Anything will be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Not sure if you need the breed of the mom but the mother is a light Brahma.

 

[Northwest_Wannabe]

Sounds like she's weaning, although it may be a tad bit early, a shame it was a single chick, might be a little harder for it now :'(

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Sounds like she's weaning, although it may be a tad bit early, a shame it was a single chick, might be a little harder for it now :'(

Should I take it? It only has wing feathers and some tail feathers.

 

[Sonya9]

That is a difficult situation. Can you pen the hen and chick up together in a smaller space? That may help. If you take the chick you will still have a problem integrating a lone chick later, it is very difficult for singletons. If you leave the chick in the run alone it could be injured or killed.

In the future try to have at least 2-3 chicks at a time, if only one hatches you can even buy very young chicks and slip them under the hen to add extra siblings.

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Ok thank you I should be able to find a small coop for her and the chick. I will rember that in the future.

 

[Sonya9]

Ok thank you I should be able to find a small coop for her and the chick. I will rember that in the future.

Keep them visible/near the flock if at all possible. If they are away from the flock for several days then they BOTH may be picked on when they return.

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Ok, thank you.