Will hens Raise their own?

[ecowoman]

I am one year into chicken life... I have 10 chickens. 2 roosters (1 was not planned). I have 2 hens that I allowed to raise 6 eggs together. They really share the load! One egg hatched but did not make it.
Are hens reliable to raise their own chicks? Another egg hatched last night and it is alive. I am preparing a place to keep it... alive.
Thanks for your help!

 

[kentuckysilkies]

Most hens will do just fine caring for their chicks. It does get complicated with multiple hens caring for the chicks. I would recommend allowing only one of the hens care for the chicks (although it is so cute when they share the duties).

 

[ecowoman]

It has only been a short time since I was out there, but it seems as though the
hens have been picking on the chick... The bare back was not visible when I
peeked under earlier. It doesn't seem like it is going to make it. It also looks as though it still has remnants of the egg sack, from the behind.

Should I segregate one hen with the rest of the eggs, from the rest of the
chickens? Question is, which one was picking on the poor thing?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

If they couldn't or wouldn't they would have been extinct before now.

 

[deerman]

Depend on breeds, these most of the time dont brood good.

Leghorns
polish
hamburg
campine
cornish
cornish x rock

just to list a few breeds

 

[ecowoman]

well, yes... I know that, but in my little breeding situation, with 2 hens sharing the nest, why would these chicks be exhibiting "baldness"? The other one that died had similar problems. The current one did not have the baldness earlier.
Thanks for setting me straight on extinction.

 

[ecowoman]

I have bantams. Great little eggs!

 

[deerman]

Quote:
No because we incubate and brood the chicks for them. Most of the white leghorns broody has been breed out of them because broody dont lay when raising chicks.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
I dont know actually. The only breed I have ever had do that to a chick, was Japanese when I allowed them to hatch some eggs naturally as an experiment. It was killed almost immediately after hatching. It's still a mystery to me...

Your welcome...

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
True, but you can't completely remove a chickens natural instinct. Yes the hatch rates will be extremely low to non-existent, but left to themselves, I'm sure they would at some point. They are, after all still chickens, bred from the same original jungle fowl.