single chick hatched today...now what?!?!?

[dixietuffchicken]

We took it out of the box becuse we have 8 other hens and one rooster and are nervous for this little guy to be out there alone with the other chickens. The momma hen was still sitting on it. We are not set up in the coop to keep the chicks out there. There are three remaining eggs that should be hatching soon as well.

The question is..should we leave the chick out there? (the nesting box is reatively small and there is not room in there for food/water and too high for the chick to come in and out of). Worried sick the rooster or other hens will kill the newly hatched chicks, but there is not room in there to keep the babies, hen, and food/water. Will the single chick be ok in a box in the garage with the heat lamp all alone? Nervous! Our first hatching!!!

 

[buckeyejerseygiants]

I had the same predicament this spring when only one of 7 hatched. I took baby away and put him in a brooder because mom jumped off the other eggs to watch him. We put an ostrich feather duster and mirror in the brooder but he was still not a happy chick when alone. He became very attached to me and would chirp himself into a frenzy every time I left. Within a few days I had to make a make-shift pen in the coop in which he, mom, and the remaining eggs could exist but not intermingle with the other birds. Unless you want a sidekick chick, figuring out how to keep him with mom is your best bet. Leaving him in a brooder for a few days would probably be OK until the others hatch, or bringing mom and eggs into the brooder. She won't want to do much but sit until they hatch anyway. I generally leave the chicks and hen out with the other chickens as long as the babies can get up into the coop at night. All of our good broody hens won't take any shenanigans from coop-mates.