One lonely chick!

[Domestic_goddess]

My broody hatched her first chick today and I'm nervous none of the other eggs will hatch....will one chick do okay by it's self? I'm wondering if I should try and buy another chick to put under the broody if no others hatch, what would you do?

 

[Domestic_goddess]

I know I worry to much, but I wonder if it would do better with another chick!

 

[ralleia]

If you were to buy additional chicks to place under the broody, do it ASAP and make sure that they're as young as possible--a day to three days old, roughly.

Whether it will work or not is up to the momma hen. My black australorps accepted all comers--my star performer, codenamed "BIG MOMMA" accepted all 25 of my day-old chick order from McMurray and reared the whole brood by herself.

What breed is the hen? How many other hens/roos are around? I prefer to have a crowd of young 'uns (ten-ish would be fine) if I have any young 'uns around--they seem to get better care, be better protected and easier to manage that way. The only time we had a single hatch-out with a hen, the chick died, though that could also have been inattention on my part.

What breed is the hen and do you have experience with her being a mother before?

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
Momma hen is a 2 yr old Buff orpington, she's a first time mom. She is very determined to be a mom, she doesn't want to even leave the nest to eat or drink...I have to force her and then she's back on the nest within minutes. She's even been wonderful when I handle her. She's determined to hatch the other two eggs and I'm just not sure they will. She's in the coop with all the others, but in seperate pen. I only have 1 rooster and 23 other hens in that coop.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Do you think a 4-5 day old would be okay?

 

[ralleia]

Probably--it's really up to the momma. The chicks I got in the mail may well have been that old by the time they arrived.

If possible, they should be the same general color as the hen. My black australorps accepted *every* chick of every color, but I had a brahma that would savagely attack light-colored chicks and only accepted black chicks.

You won't know how she is about taking chicks until you try it. If you're going to try it, do it fast--if you delay she's likely not to accept any more.

Most sources suggest adding the chicks late at night. You slip the chicks under her, and they'll be attracted to her warmth, and in the morning she'll wake up with her new family.

If I *know* that my hen in receptive however, I usually add chicks during the day so that I can observe that they are accepted. A hen that accepts the chick will "cluck cluck" gently to call to it and fluff her feathers over the chick. A hen that is rejecting a chick will savagely peck at it. There's no missing the cues.

Be prepared to brood them yourself/give them to someone else just in case they are not accepted by the momma. I haven't worked with orpington broodies before.

 

[BawGock]

If it was a lone incubator chick, I'd buy a buddy for it.
Since it's got momma, I wouldn't sweat it.
It will just end up being a super-achieving only child

Carolyn

 

[SallyF]

My broody hatched a single chick one year. It did fine, although it seemed that it stayed with mama a little longer than groups of chicks do. She finally kicked him to the curb when he got to be the same size she was.