Lonley Chick Help Please

I have a single chick I found this morning in one of my fancy pigeons nests. A chicken must have flow up there and laid an egg. I was alerted to it by its cheeping noises.

Now I have it in a brooder box with the heat lamp and food etc.

Will the chick survive on its own for a couple of weeks? I have a broody hen which will hatch her eggs out in another 9 days time.

Its really healthy and lively... but its noisy and won't settle unless I put my hand in the box!!!

I have put in a mirror.. which it likes to look at its reflection.. but its still makes so much noise when I leave the room.

I also put in a feather duster (as I read on here it was a good idea).. but it is not interested in it

My friend also has a hen on eggs and said the eggs should hatch in about 5 days.

It seems to be eating and drinking fine. and this afternoon is really hot.. so I put it in a cage in the yard so it can see the other chickens. There is a gang of half grown chickens that like to sit on top of the cage and walk around it.. which the chick seems to like.

I am going to have to bring it in in the evening... and I know its going to make noise all night!

Well when I had a baby chick alone I had stuck in a little stuffed animal/dog toy and I had to put his cage in the bathroom with the heat lamp and shut the door because my dad had to go to work and he couldn't fall asleep and that seemed to work he cuddled up next to it and fell asleep and I put a tiny little blanket in there for him to wiggle down into next to the fluffed animal

Roada Red said:

Well when I had a baby chick alone I had stuck in a little stuffed animal/dog toy and I had to put his cage in the bathroom with the heat lamp and shut the door because my dad had to go to work and he couldn't fall asleep and that seemed to work he cuddled up next to it and fell asleep and I put a tiny little blanket in there for him to wiggle down into next to the fluffed animal

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That's great.... did your chick do OK on its own?

It seems to have helped mine see the other chickens today.. as it got lots of attention from them through the cage bars and tonight its gone to sleep under its feather duster and we finally have quite!!!

You've instinctively done exactly the right thing! In fact, it's good for all baby chicks to live side by side with adult chickens, not just a single orphaned chick.

Since you live in a warm climate, the chick won't have a need to huddle with others for warmth, so that instinct is covered. The other instinct that causes distress in lone baby chicks is being deprived of the nearness of other chicks or chickens because of its need to be in a flock. You've now got that covered!

If you're interested in all the psychological and developmental reasons why chicks benefit greatly from being raised from early on in proximity to adult chickens, my second article linked below covers it.

jak2002003 said:

That's great....  did your chick do OK on its own?

It seems to have helped mine see the other chickens today.. as it got lots of attention from them through the cage bars and tonight its gone to sleep under its feather duster and we finally have quite!!!

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Yes and after the next day then another one hatched just because it's by itself doesn't mean it's going to die or something unless it's sick but since chickens live together they arnt normally by them selves so they Instinctively call for others he should be fine just make sure it eats and drinks and it's vent don't get poo on it good luck

Even though mine have each other I put a sock filled with rice in there and they cuddle with that sometimes. I think I could hear it up for maybe 10 seconds if the brooder needed more heat but they like it just as a lump

Thanks everyone for the reassurance.

Its doing really well and has got a lot quieter too.

Very cute and friendly.

I got the impression they would pine away and die of stress if they were on their own.

Good to know... just have to wait about a week till the others hatch and it can have some new friends.

Yes I to have a chick all by its self now he hatched today it's a boy but he is still pretty cute I might keep him though just depends on what other males I get here I might see which one I like the best and which one crows the best but I have him in the incubator and he's all cuttled up with the other eggs o and if it was under a pigeon why didn't u let it be it would have raised it until u got the other chicks

Roada Red said:

Yes I to have a chick all by its self now he hatched today it's a boy but he is still pretty cute I might keep him though just depends on what other males I get here I might see which one I like the best and which one crows the best but I have him in the incubator and he's all cuttled up with the other eggs o and if it was under a pigeon why didn't u let it be it would have raised it until u got the other chicks

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I had to take it out... as the pigeons had been trying to feed it by puking up food over it. If it had walked away from the pigeon nest looking for food, another pair would have attacked it, maybe killing it.

If it left the nest and was on the floor I was scared the other adult chickens would attack a lone chick.

O I see well things happen I geuss well mine isn't all alone now another hatched here this morning so there running around the incubator