Chickens - I've a 7 day old chick and a hen with a two day old brood of 4, will the hen care for the older one

Question

Chickens - I've a 7 day old chick and a hen with a two day old brood of 4, will the hen care for the older one

Answer 1

they don't really need "looking after!" as long as the older chick has an adult around to learn of it'll be ok!    it may treat it as it's own tho! - what happened to the 7day olds mum?

Answer 2

Hens differ a lot in temperament,I've had a hen accept a few chicks into her brood with no questions asked,while an alert one can pick up a new comer & treat it like an intruder.

True the 7 day old chick will do fine on it's own,but that will require a certain amount of care & supervision  on your part,an accepting hen can solve this problem.

I introdue chicks to a surrogate maother at dusk when she is preparing her brood for the night,this way there is more of a chance she will not notice any change,yet early next morning is the time to watch out for rumblings in the nest ,

Answer 3

Possibly, but I would watch closely at first in case the hen decides the older chick is a threat. Chicks do just fine without hens to care for them, but single chicks will have a harder time without brothers and sisters. If you need to separate out the older one, be sure to provide clean and safely accessible water and heat along with a crumble chicken food that is easy for the chick to eat (chick-starter). Keep things very clean since chicks are susceptible to infections when they are young. Good luck!