I have 2 broody hens who share a nest of eggs and on the 8th 1 chick hatched whom they share equally. The other eggs don't seem like they will hatch. Since the hatch a few days ago my other 4 hens have been locked out of the coop and staying in the chicken run along with my Jersey Giant Rooster.
I would LOVE it if I could just let all the chickens have free access to the coop and run without worrying that anyone will harm the hatchling but I worry it would take just secounds for one of them to turn on the chick and kill it. But then again I'd hate to go through all the effort of setting up the 2 hens and chick in a seperate enclosure for months if there's a chance they'd get along fine.
What to do? My chickens are all 1 year old. This chick is just the 2nd time they ever had a newcommer. My rooster is a very protective responsible rooster but he's a sex machine
who rips feathers out like crazy. Is he more likely to be protective and careful around the chick or agressive and rough? Would the hens be a danger to the chick?
I allowed my fav. chicken in the coop to see the new chick and to see how she'd react. The chick ran out from under the hens to the water dish where my fav. chicken was standing and that chicken took 1 look at the chick and jumped a mile high, screamed and ran out of the coop.
It wasn't exactly a response that helped me make up my mind.
Sooooo what do you guys think? What should I do?
I would LOVE it if I could just let all the chickens have free access to the coop and run without worrying that anyone will harm the hatchling but I worry it would take just secounds for one of them to turn on the chick and kill it. But then again I'd hate to go through all the effort of setting up the 2 hens and chick in a seperate enclosure for months if there's a chance they'd get along fine.
What to do? My chickens are all 1 year old. This chick is just the 2nd time they ever had a newcommer. My rooster is a very protective responsible rooster but he's a sex machine
who rips feathers out like crazy. Is he more likely to be protective and careful around the chick or agressive and rough? Would the hens be a danger to the chick?
I allowed my fav. chicken in the coop to see the new chick and to see how she'd react. The chick ran out from under the hens to the water dish where my fav. chicken was standing and that chicken took 1 look at the chick and jumped a mile high, screamed and ran out of the coop.
Sooooo what do you guys think? What should I do?
