Silkie hen not very motherly

[lilshadow]

I have a little silkie hen that hatched out 1 chick, and she isn't very motherly towards it. She isn't showing it how to hunt/scratch for its food. When she finds the food she eats it all for herself. She also just leaves him where he is at, and doesn't run back for him when he starts crying. She does let it hide under her, and she keeps it warm. When I put my hand in the pen to pick the chick up, she did nothing. I find this odd because my other banty hen almost flogged and pecked me bloody when I tried picking her chicks up. She also would not eat until her chick's had eaten. Should I take this little guy, and put him in a brooder?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I think the chick would probably do much better in a brooder. The momma hen isn't doing much more than a brooder would, at the moment, from what your post says.

If you put the chick in a brooder, you might want to put a stuffed animal or something else in there (like a mirror) to help it feel like it has company.