Rejected chick

[RebelYell]

Here's the back-story...I'll keep it brief.....
One of our Delawares went broody, so I put 6 fertilized eggs under her and 2 days later, 6 more. So now, she has hatched 4 of the first six, and a couple days later in the afternoon, we found a new chick and one egg that was pipping from the last group of six eggs. The newest chick was not in the nest, had an injured eye and a damaged back. I was perplexed by this. I put the chick in the nest (The hen and her first 4 chicks were off the nest getting water) and when it began cheeping, the hen rushed over and began pecking it, so I removed it. Minutes later, the hen walked back to the nest, stepped on the pipping egg as she sat, slightly crushing the pipping egg. She sat only a few seconds and got off the nest. When the chick inside the pipping egg began cheeping, she rushed over and started to peck the egg, so I grabbed it too before she damaged it. I put the injured chick and the pipping egg in the incubator.
The egg hatched a couple hours later in the incubator, but the injured chick was dead the next morning. So that next day, I put the chick in the nest and she immediately pecked it.
So now, 5 days later, I have a hen raising 4 chicks just fine, and a single chick that she rejected. I do not understand why she rejected it, maybe because it hatched 2 days after the others? It is a black sex-link and the others are Rhode Island Reds, would the color difference matter?

QUESTION: I wonder if I slip the rejected chick under her tonight, would there be a chance she would accept it if they all woke up together? Would the color difference matter?

 

[sourland]

As you have discovered staggered hatches generally result in problems. She has bonded with the 4 red chicks and views the black chick as an intruder. She will most likely kill it if you continue to try to foster it to her. Born at the same time as the others she would also have bonded with it.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

As you have discovered staggered hatches generally result in problems. She has bonded with the 4 red chicks and views the black chick as an intruder. She will most likely kill it if you continue to try to foster it to her. Born at the same time as the others she would also have bonded with it.

I am unable to add any more about the difficulties of staggered hatches. Brer sourland has said it all.


2 X on

 

[RebelYell]

Message understood.

So, before posting the original question, I looked for other chicks of similar age to buy and raise along with this one, but cannot find any in my area. I suspect that raising a chick alone would not be the optimum choice for the chick, and would be alot of work for me with only one rooster to show for all that work. (it is a sexlink chick and it is a rooster)

1. What are the issues with raising a chick alone? I have 2 chicks that are 12 weeks old that I am integrating into my flock of 11 hens now. They were hand-raised and are not integrating well and I think that may be one of the issues with hand-raising chicks.

2. What would be the oldest chicks that I could safely put with this single 5-day old chick to be raised together? I can get chicks that are 4-6 weeks old.

 

[Honora]

I am going through something similar now. I had broodies hatch out 5 chicks & I hatched 3 in the incubator. The broads accepted 2 of the incubator chicks, but attacked a third that is a different color. I just brought in the rejected chick along with one of the broodies' chicks. That way the rejected chick will not be lonely.

Hope your situation had a good resolution!