Only 1 chick hatched

[adlynch]

So, mama hen abandoned the rest of the eggs today and only 1 chick has hatched. It hatched Saturday and so far is doing very good. Eating, drinking, pooping, active, curious etc. Do you think it will continue to thrive being an only chick? This is a first time mama and our first time hatching chicks.

p.s. does the white dot on its head mean it's a roo? (Hope that's not a stupid question)

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Cute! my Buttonquail hen should hatch some chicks in a week and a half!!!

 

[sawilliams]

One chick is fine mama will love it just the same. I only had 2 eggs and 1 got smashed early on so i also only hatched 1. Mama did great and at about 2 weeks i was about to get some feed store chicks (about a week old or better) as introduced then to nama she took the extras with no issue. If you can get ahold of even just 2-3 chicks you could try to give then to mama at night time and hippie she takes then in but you don't have to. Mama and baby will stay a pair for stalwart the first 5 weeks til the baby is old enough to be on its own. Honestly my mana is still brooding all 7 (1 plus 6 from the feed store) and they are about 10weeks old now

 

[adlynch]

This morning I moved mama and chick into a brooder pen. The other chickens were crowding around the feeder I set out for them and i think it was getting in her nerves. Also (after abandoning the rest of her eggs) she kept collecting eggs from others and making a new nest. Hopefully I did the right thing!

 

[WVduckchick]

Very cute!!! What breed? The white head dot could mean male, but depends on the parents/breed.

Did you check the other eggs? Candle them? Usually they won't leave them if there is any chance of hatching, but I just had 2 hens hatch 5 chicks, leave 1 egg, but it had been laid later, so I put it in the incubator, it hatched 5 days later and the mommas took it to raise.

 

[sawilliams]

That worries me that she's still trying to collect eggs for a new nest. The baby won't leave her side right now and if she's still wanting to sit on eggs she won't take the baby to feed and water as often. It might be a good idea to get at least a couple of day old chicks and try integrate them with mama and the chick, it might help crub her desire to set, just keep in mind if she rejects them you'll need a broader pen. I got lucky i read somewhere to only introduce 1 or 2 at a time I did all 6 at once she didn't accept then right away but want rejecting them either. It was warm enough then that I left then in the mama pen over night and by the next day she was happily caring for all the new babies.

The mama pen is always a good idea for new chicks it gives mama a better chance to bond and teach the chicks untill they are ready to mingle. One thing that we tried with our chicks too is if you have any 2x4 hardwire you can enclose a corner area with some chick feed and water, mine was a little small but still worked. The chicks can run in and out of the 2x4 to get eat or just to get away from the other hens, so it's a good safe place for the first 5 weeks out so. And i noticed my mama had started taking the chicks too that corner through out the day, especially once everyone came out of the coop and were hogging all the fed and water. Still to this day mama gets her chicks up before anyone else so the chicks can eat and get water before all the hens get moving

 

[adlynch]

Very cute!!! What breed? The white head dot could mean male, but depends on the parents/breed.

Did you check the other eggs? Candle them? Usually they won't leave them if there is any chance of hatching, but I just had 2 hens hatch 5 chicks, leave 1 egg, but it had been laid later, so I put it in the incubator, it hatched 5 days later and the mommas took it to raise.

I don't have an incubator to put them in, and honestly I thought they would be ruined already. My husband noticed she left the eggs (to sit on another hens egg) around 5pm yesterday and i didn't get home from work until about 10pm. So thats about 5 hours of her off the nest. I also have NO IDEA when they were due to hatch because she collected eggs for almost a week before I realized she was hoarding so many

 

[adlynch]

Very cute!!! What breed? The white head dot could mean male, but depends on the parents/breed.

Did you check the other eggs? Candle them? Usually they won't leave them if there is any chance of hatching, but I just had 2 hens hatch 5 chicks, leave 1 egg, but it had been laid later, so I put it in the incubator, it hatched 5 days later and the mommas took it to raise.

Also, no idea what breed.
We have RIR, Buff Orpington, Buff Brahma, Ameracauna, Black chickens from feed store? And black and white ones, but not barred rock ( the other one that looks like a BR) and this is the Roo

 

[WVduckchick]

I don't have an incubator to put them in, and honestly I thought they would be ruined already. My husband noticed she left the eggs (to sit on another hens egg) around 5pm yesterday and i didn't get home from work until about 10pm. So thats about 5 hours of her off the nest. I also have NO IDEA when they were due to hatch because she collected eggs for almost a week before I realized she was hoarding so many

Usually, if they think more will hatch, they will stay with them for a while, and the baby will stay also. If she has moved nests, I assume the baby is still with her? She will eventually give up and only tend to the baby. As long as the baby isn't getting picked on, and is staying close to momma, I'd give her a couple more days. She's just making sure nothing else is going to hatch.

(make sure none of the eggs stink! you don't want any blowing up) otherwise, I'd just wait till she has given up, then remove all the other eggs.

 

[adlynch]

That worries me that she's still trying to collect eggs for a new nest. The baby won't leave her side right now and if she's still wanting to sit on eggs she won't take the baby to feed and water as often. It might be a good idea to get at least a couple of day old chicks and try integrate them with mama and the chick, it might help crub her desire to set, just keep in mind if she rejects them you'll need a broader pen. I got lucky i read somewhere to only introduce 1 or 2 at a time I did all 6 at once she didn't accept then right away but want rejecting them either. It was warm enough then that I left then in the mama pen over night and by the next day she was happily caring for all the new babies.

The mama pen is always a good idea for new chicks it gives mama a better chance to bond and teach the chicks untill they are ready to mingle. One thing that we tried with our chicks too is if you have any 2x4 hardwire you can enclose a corner area with some chick feed and water, mine was a little small but still worked. The chicks can run in and out of the 2x4 to get eat or just to get away from the other hens, so it's a good safe place for the first 5 weeks out so. And i noticed my mama had started taking the chicks too that corner through out the day, especially once everyone came out of the coop and were hogging all the fed and water. Still to this day mama gets her chicks up before anyone else so the chicks can eat and get water before all the hens get moving

I sat in the coop to just watch them for a good while yesterday. And the chick will come out from under her, eat, drink, look around for a bit, then go back under her. At one point she did kinda push it out from under her and around the coop a bit. She walked back over to her corner and sat down. It worried me a little, but the chick ran back over and she let it get back under her. Maybe that's normal? I'm new to all this...