only child chicks

[missychicky]

I was wondering, would I chick be cared for by its mother normally if it were an only child? I know It would get lonely if it was cared for by a human but if it were raised by its mother would it still get lonely?

 

[elmo]

Not until the hen rejects it at around 6-8 weeks. Then, yes!

I'm going through this right now. Two of my broodies have gone back to laying and started pecking at their chicks away whenever the chicks came around them. Once this happens, the hen treats her chicks no differently than any other smaller chicken, which means pecking order brutality. Fortunately, chicks that have siblings have each other.
You can put similar age chicks together, but mine are all sticking with their natal buddies, so far.