How social are chicks?

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Mule & Flash

Mule & Flash

In the Brooder
9 Years
Jan 20, 2011
20
0
22
North Central FL
Only one chick of my initial 15 eggs has survived to day 2. She's all alone. Will she be ok or go mad with boredom? Should I go buy a couple more day old chicks to raise with her? We're going to give incubating another go, but in the meantime I'm not sure what to do.
 
Yes, baby chicks have a critical need to be with other chicks. You could get away with having a single chick if it was being raised by a broody hen, but a chick without any flock at all is a very stressed out animal. They derive their sense of security from being with other chicks.

If you have an adult flock, you might be able to solve the problem by brooding it within proximity and sight of the other chickens. In lieu of that, getting a couple more chicks of the same approximate age would be best.
 
Mule & Flash said:
Only one chick of my initial 15 eggs has survived to day 2. She's all alone. Will she be ok or go mad with boredom? Should I go buy a couple more day old chicks to raise with her? We're going to give incubating another go, but in the meantime I'm not sure what to do.
Click to expand...

First, don't count your chicks until they hatch. Second, learn how to properly store and incubate hatching eggs. I know that t we humans think that it looks easy peezy because.......

One: We have seen too many Disney flicks, and

Two: even a dumb hen can do it so hatching eggs is a snap for us smart humans.

That is without factoring in the millions of years of experience chickens have accumulated hatching their own young.

People, its called instinct.

I am not trying to be super critical but rather remind all of you to learn everything that the chickens have learned over the countless centuries that they've been making chicken babies.

If it works for our fowl and it'll work for you.


One more thing, you are reading these words on the WWW. There is zero, zip, nada guarantee that what you read or buy on the internet is even half way accurate.
 
chickengeorgeto said:
First, don't count your chicks until they hatch.  Second, learn how to properly store and incubate hatching eggs.  I know that t we humans think that it looks easy peezy because.......

One: We have seen too many Disney flicks, and

Two: even a dumb hen can do it so hatching eggs is a snap for us smart humans.   

That is without factoring in the millions of years of experience chickens have accumulated hatching their own young.

People, its called instinct.

I am not trying to be super critical but rather remind all of you to learn everything that the chickens have learned over the countless centuries that they've been making chicken babies.

If it works for our fowl and it'll work for you.


One more thing, you are reading these words on the WWW.  There is zero, zip, nada guarantee that what you read or buy on the internet is even half way accurate.
Click to expand...

That was useless information
 
chickengeorgeto said:
First, don't count your chicks until they hatch.  Second, learn how to properly store and incubate hatching eggs.  I know that t we humans think that it looks easy peezy because.......

One: We have seen too many Disney flicks, and

Two: even a dumb hen can do it so hatching eggs is a snap for us smart humans.   

That is without factoring in the millions of years of experience chickens have accumulated hatching their own young.

People, its called instinct.

I am not trying to be super critical but rather remind all of you to learn everything that the chickens have learned over the countless centuries that they've been making chicken babies.

If it works for our fowl and it'll work for you.


One more thing, you are reading these words on the WWW.  There is zero, zip, nada guarantee that what you read or buy on the internet is even half way accurate.
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for not answering my question. I knew we'd be lucky if any hatched. It's our first time, a borrowed old incubator, and we were just given the eggs and incubator one day because someone knew we wanted chickens. No, I didn't research enough. I'm glad I found this site again for all the other helpful information I've found here the last few days. Unfortunately I didn't get here soon enough to learn everything that hens do instinctually and apply it to my first hatch.

My question now pertains to the sole survivor. Does she need a friend or will she be ok alone?
 
M&F: I'd recommend that you get a friend or two for your lone survivor. Until then, you can give her a little stuffed animal to cuddle with and a mirror. Hoping your next incubation goes better. Before every incubation, I brush up my "data base" by reading "hatching eggs 101" in the learning center. Lots of useful information there. Incubation is an art, for sure and I'm glad you're not letting your first experience be a deal breaker for you. Also glad you didn't start with expensive eggs!!!
 
Sorry to eggbert and azygous. I didn't mean to disregard your helpful responses. I honestly didn't even see them up there when I clicked the link in my email that took me to my quoted post. It doesn't help I was up all night with my human kids and I'm running on empty right now. I've been missing things all day.

We'll be checking with our area farm supply stores for chicks tomorrow. Hopefully someone will have some. I'd rather buy local than wait for them to be shipped.
 
Quote:
Might I persuade you to forego the middle man pseudo-farm supply stores (mostly corporate spinoffs of walmart, etc that could care less what they sell you and how much you pay as long as they get the birds out the door). I am never going back to one of these middlemen as I received 80% cockerels on what was advertised as pullets. As I said, these big corporate outlets are a joke and unprofessional wannabes imo. Go with people that care about the product you purchase as they care about their reputation. It is their livelihood no matter how many chicks you order. Especially if it all boils down to the "inconvenience of "waiting".
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chickengeorgeto


"That is without factoring in the millions of years of experience chickens have accumulated hatching their own young.

People, its called instinct"
I thought it was called genetics and dna coding.
 
Last edited:

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