Hen rejects 1 of 2 chicks

[Amyandjohn]

Our Orpington successfully hatched one egg 5 days ago. So far she has been an amazing mom. Our kids wanted the new chick to have a friend. Yesterday the farm store had a delivery of new chicks that were also probably about 4-5 days old. We introduced the store bought hen to the mom at night. So far it’s not going great. Mom will let the store bought hen sleep under her but when the poor little chick comes out (food and water) she gets pecked... but not to harshly. Is this an outright rejection? Give it time? Separate the two little chicks and put mom back with the others? We just would hate to see the little chick die. Would rather have mom do the work then setting up the chicks with a light and having to introduce them later.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There's such a big age difference and she had the one for 5 days she knows one is hers and one isnt. But it may be okay if she isn't pecking hard. They peck as a way to discourage chicks from doing something, like leaving when it isn't safe

 

[BaaKaaawk]

She will not likely accept a chick she didn't hatch because she did not imprint on it. She will peck at it and could ultimately kill it by accident. You have about a 1-day window when the first chick hatches to when you can sneak a few chicks under her, sadly you missed that time frame. Even if the chicks are the same age- she doesn't view them as part of her clutch- in fact she views it as a potential threat to the well-being of her own chicks. She doesn't want to kill it, but also doesn't want it near "her chicks".

She doesn't peck at it at night because she doesn't know it is there- as soon as she "sees it" she goes after it. I've hatched a ton of chicks with broody mamas and have never gotten a hen that pecks at a chick to somehow magically accept it later.

You will probably need to get a heat lamp and raise that one separately. Additionally, a single chick is a lonely chick, so you probably need to get another one. If you don't want two, you may want to find a home for the chick.