New Baby Arrives...what now?

[Jimsgirl]

My Bantam hen and rooster just hatched their first egg. The rooster seems to be nonplussed by the whole thing and is cutting mama and baby a wide path. Do I need to remove the rooster? She still has four eggs to hatch and seems to be a very attentive mother. It is very hot, baby is with mom on the nest tonight. Dad is up on his roost. Mom has introduced baby to water and feed today, baby is a day old. My main concern is whether or not it is safe to leave the rooster in with them.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I know you've already decided, but in eleven years of total experience with hatching chicks under a broody (bantams when I was a kid, standards now that I've finally got a good broody hen population going) I have never had a rooster hurt a chick, aside from a minor peck when they got in the way at feeding time. Why would they? Chances are, some of those chicks are their babies.

Unrelated hens are a much greater danger to the chicks than roosters will ever be.

 

[sylviethecochin]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rooster-eating-baby-chicks.628165/

As I said, they are animals. We don’t know what they are capable of.

Aye. They are, and we don't. But my first ever broody bantam ate her own chicks. It was a freak accident, and it hasn't happened since. I firmly believe hens to be a greater danger to chicks than roosters will ever be.

You could say it's an easily prevented risk, and a stupid one to take. But I walk out to the cow pasture everyday, knowing that people have been killed by cattle. I could feed them from outside, and not interact with them at all, with less risk to myself. But it's highly unlikely that I will be trampled by cattle. I don't consider walking out to the pasture to be a stupid risk.

Sorry, it took me a while to word this in a way that I thought was understandable to other people.

 

[sourland]

In my experience almost all roosters have not been chick aggressive. Given enough space all should go well. Good luck, and welcome to BYC.

 

[Jimsgirl]

Thank you all for the advise, out he goes just be on the safe side as I will not be around tomorrow during the day to keep an eye on them!

 

[Fishkeeper]

I'd suggest removing him, just in case, until the chicks get a bit bigger. Too much risk of him badly hurting a chick, potentially without even trying.

 

[Littleshadow]

I just posted this on another thread but I’d like to chime in:

My barred rock rooster has never, not once, harmed a chick. I’m fact he becomes very protective over babies and actually keeps the other curious hens away from them. And he’d often take the treats I gave him and give them to the chicks. He was a good daddy! Even though most the chicks weren’t even his! Lol
Every animals is different however so if you have concerns for the chicks safety I’d remove the male.
The only time I’ve ever had problems with loosing Chicks to males was a young adolescent, low pecking order, Cochin cockerel who chased every single chick. He managed to get one once. Daddy barred rock didn’t like that too much. I went to separate the two males later that night to keep more problems from arising.
I’ve had more problems with hens killing their own chicks then roosters killing chicks.

 

[ChickensAndYoga]

For what it's worth, I have two coops. One small thats my nursery. One large for my laying hens/large flock. Broodies get moved to the nursery and all hatched chicks go in whether broody or incubator. The PLAN was to have just babies in there. Well, my game bantam rooster Dan grew up in there. My tiny leghorn hen also lives on there. They love the babies. Dan even sits on them at night. I tried several times to remove them and every chance they get, they both fly back in. It doesnt matter the chicks, age etc. Never have an issue. This is probably rare. But it works for us. In fact, we call that coop "Dans Day care" lol

 

[Golden Brahma 64]

My Bantam hen and rooster just hatched their first egg. The rooster seems to be nonplussed by the whole thing and is cutting mama and baby a wide path. Do I need to remove the rooster? She still has four eggs to hatch and seems to be a very attentive mother. It is very hot, baby is with mom on the nest tonight. Dad is up on his roost. Mom has introduced baby to water and feed today, baby is a day old. My main concern is whether or not it is safe to leave the rooster in with them.

Remove him! They’re animals, we can’t just assume that he ‘wont’ do anything to them.

I have had roosters peck and chase young chicks before. I wouldn’t take that risk if I were you

 

[Jimsgirl]

This is what I was hoping folks with some experience would say. We've had chickens for years, usually getting chicks when they are a day or two old and this is our first time hatching them...everyone seems quite happy, quite subdued even, so I am going to leave them be. Unfortunately, I will not be home tomorrow to separate them if the need were to arise. I will keep my fingers crossed and trust that mamma hen will take care of baby! She is an excellent mother so far and I have no doubt she would kick butt if she had to! Thank you for the welcome, I am excited to be a part of BackYard Chickens!