*Solved!* It this chick old enough to be ignored by the mom?

DogAndCat36

Crowing
Mar 12, 2020
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Northern Maine
So this little chick, Hope, is around 1 month old. She is the only chick that hatcheed from Bertha, my Australorp.
(Don't mind her head. She was just looking down when I took the picture.)
20200813_133237.jpg

So, Bertha has been leaving her behind and is not talking to her anymore. Should I bring her inside or can she survive the night by herself?
 
My recent broody started ignoring her babies at about that age, but there were seven of them. Hopefully someone with experience with only children will weigh in.
How's the weather where you are?
 
You say about a month, so 4 weeks...that is a very common time to fledge chicks. It's a bit confusing for the chick at first, without momma hovering, but they already are part of the flock, so integration will just be remembering which hen to not bother.

She will be plenty warm. She is fully feathered. I've had hens hatch chicks in the dead of winter and seen the chicks running around in the snow, taking warm ups under momma from time to time. By the time they are 4 weeks, they are full functioning birds. Artificial brooding gives the false impression that you have to pamper them until 8 weeks of age, but that just isn't true.

LofMc
 
She looks like she has enough feathers to stay warm, mom has taught her how to find food and she know her way around. As long as she is not getting pecked/chased by the other chickens and is eating, I vote that you leave her with her flock. She can snuggle up to the other chickens on the roost if she gets cold. If you remove her from the flock, she would have to be re-introduced as if she was a new chicken and pecking order drama can be tough to watch.
 
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Do you have a small aligning pen? So during the day she can be with the other birds without getting pecked?
And at night you could sort something out, either indoors or in another shed.
I have had lone birds, but the mother rejected pretty late.


I usually use a broody. The chicks will be out all day, without going under their mother, after the first week or so.
I was worrying about my 6 week old brooder chicks.... But with the hen they're out all the time anyway.
They're definitely hardier than we give them credit for.
I'm more worried that she'll be lonely.
 
You say about a month, so 4 weeks...that is a very common time to fledge chicks. It's a bit confusing for the chick at first, without momma hovering, but they already are part of the flock, so integration will just be remembering which hen to not bother.

She will be plenty warm. She is fully feathered. I've had hens hatch chicks in the dead of winter and seen the chicks running around in the snow, taking warm ups under momma from time to time. By the time they are 4 weeks, they are full functioning birds. Artificial brooding gives the false impression that you have to pamper them until 8 weeks of age, but that just isn't true.

LofMc
Well she's a bit under a month and only has feathers on her wings and a bit on her back only.
 

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