Need some help! New chick just hatched. Will she be OK with the rooster?

[hondo58]

Our bantam hen Elkie went broody on the same day that we hatched 7 chicks in our home made incubator. Since she had just survived a hawk attack we thought it would be safe for her to stay in the nest box for awhile. She was sitting on 2 of the eggs from our White Plymouth Rock hens. In the batch of 7 that we hatched in the incubator none were from the White Plymouth Rocks as none of the 5 eggs from those hens were fertile. We thought the chances of these not being fertile were pretty good and that she could just sit on them and recover from the attack. After a week I candled the eggs and nothing was happening but I didn't want her to start roaming with the others just yet so I replaced the 3 eggs with 2 new ones. True to form I just went out and this is what I saw.

My question, since they are in the coop nest box and the rooster and hens will be coming in soon will they be OK? She is still sitting on the other egg so I imagine it might hatch as well since she didn't abandon it yet.​

 

[Lollipop]

She will probably be able to protect it/them from the other chickens. If your rooster is mature, as in more than one year old, he shouldn't be a hazard for chicks anyway. It's the other hens/pullets that may cause a problem, but mom should be able to handle it. Usually a broody will stay on the nest after the first chicks hatch until the second day, then take whatever chicks have hatched out to eat and drink, leaving any unhatched eggs in the nest. That's the norm. Good luck with yours.........Pop

 

[hondo58]

She will probably be able to protect it/them from the other chickens. If your rooster is mature, as in more than one year old, he shouldn't be a hazard for chicks anyway. It's the other hens/pullets that may cause a problem, but mom should be able to handle it. Usually a broody will stay on the nest after the first chicks hatch until the second day, then take whatever chicks have hatched out to eat and drink, leaving any unhatched eggs in the nest. That's the norm. Good luck with yours.........Pop

Lollipop, thanks for your quick reply! The chick is all fluffy so it must be a few hours old at the least. I heard a faint chirping and then saw the egg shells. Wow was I surprised! The rooster is just a year old as are the other hens (one Cinnamon Queen and the two White Plymouth Rocks). I'll keep an eye on things when they all go in....which should be within the next 20 minutes....

 

[hondo58]

All was well when everyone went in for the night. Will mom want to stay with the chick(s) in the nest box or will I need to move them into a brooder?

 

[Lollipop]

All was well when everyone went in for the night. Will mom want to stay with the chick(s) in the nest box or will I need to move them into a brooder?

As long as the nest is at floor level, you're set. Mom will probably leave the nest with the chick/s tomorrow. Then she may wanna return to the nest tomorrow night. Be sure the chicks can leave and enter the nest easily. She will care for them for the next 6-8 weeks, at which time she will lose interrest and return to the rooster, leaving the chicks old enough to care for themselves. Have fun..........Pop

 

[hondo58]

Sure enough, mom was out of the nest box with the new chick. Everything seems to be OK. I checked the other egg and it was never fertilized.​

 

[WilsonAcres]

awwwww! she looks so happy! too cute!