Only 1 egg developed under my broody...is it ok to hatch only 1 chick?

[Mo'sMenagerie]

I have a broody who we gave a clutch of five fertile eggs to 14 days ago. We candled them and found that only one is alive and kicking. Is it ok to have her raise a single chick? Or do I need to find day olds to give her when the one hatches?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

As long as she's a good mom and cares for it there's no problem with one. If she rejects it, you will need to find more so it has company while you brood it.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Do you want more chicks? If so, get some. If not, don't bother. The single won't be lonely if she has mum, and Mum won't care now many chicks she has.

You may want to have a backup plan in case she hatches none; breaking the hen always seems cruel to me if she's set for a full term and now has nothing to show for it.

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Great information. I will look into getting a couple more...will have to order at least 3 if I get them from MyPetChicken I think. Any thoughts on where else other than MPC to get day old chicks near Hood River OR?

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

Do you want more chicks? If so, get some. If not, don't bother. The single won't be lonely if she has mum, and Mum won't care now many chicks she has.

You may want to have a backup plan in case she hatches none; breaking the hen always seems cruel to me if she's set for a full term and now has nothing to show for it.

Do you think she will except chicks that are a few days older than the one she hatches (fingers crossed)? I can only find them to order and ship out the same day this single one under my hen is due to hatch...so they would be older than the one she has.Worried she won't accept them if she's already been with the one for a few days. This is so stressful! Such a gamble all around.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would wait and see. I wouldn't add chicks after this one hatches. She will be fine with the one chick. If she rejects it and attacks it than I would look to add a few. Otherwise I would do nothing.

 

[Robert G]

I have several old english game bantams that would hatch a ton of chicks if I wouldn't intervene. I usually let them have 2 eggs to hatch. This last one wasn't supposed to hatch any because I will place fake eggs when the weather is either too cold or hot for my broody to sit in a coop all day. Anyway, the fake egg I thought she had was actually a real one. So she has 1 chick and is doing excellent. She's even more protective about it.

 

[5hens&aroo]

That’s so weird that this happened to you too. I have a hen who’s been broody before and is a good momma but out of 9 eggs only two of them developed. I know they had to be fertile cause my rooster and her are buds....

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

That’s so weird that this happened to you too. I have a hen who’s been broody before and is a good momma but out of 9 eggs only two of them developed. I know they had to be fertile cause my rooster and her are buds....

I know they were fertile, but they ended up being quitters. They only partially developed.