Can chicks be reared alone? Help! 13 days left to find out!!!!

[Fingers crossed]

Lol... not sure. A cuddly toy or a feather duster hung up for it to get underneath may work.

Just looking at magazine..... there is a breeder of silver sebrights in Attleborough 01953 788863, another with silkies in Norfolk (doesnt say where) 01553 775947, another in Harleston of different breeds 01986 788171. I shall keep looking for more if these are no good.... just let me know. Good luck!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Personally I think your best bet with this lone egg is to take it out of the incubator and set it under one of the broodies, once they feel that nice warm egg under there they should stay setting. I had a broody setting on nothing for months before she finally snapped out of it so it is possible. Raising a lone chick can be heartbreaking for the chick, it will peep 24/7.

 

[eggsrcool]

Harleston.... i live 3 miles away. Attleborough there is someone is Albrugh who has sebrights. The last one... I got silkies from someone around here before. Is that Harleston, Norfolk or Suffolk?

What magazine.. maybe I can see if I can find one?

 

[scbatz33]

To answer your earlier question www.craigslist.org is a online selling site. They have a "farm and garden" section where you can post an add for chicks or reply to someone else's ad. There is a UK section - I don't know if any of the towns/cities listed are close to you or even how active those sites are, but it is worth a look.

I had a lone chick for 4 days before another chick hatched. It was the saddest, loudest, most inconsolable baby I have ever seen. I put in the stuffed animal and we had the brooder just right, but it peeped non-stop (except when it slept ever so shortly throughout the day) to the point of driving you insane.

If you could find at least one other chick somewhere to keep it company it would be best. I don't know if your mirror idea would work because the chick will want to hear and cuddle with the other chick as well. Since it will only hear itself and the mirror won't be able to snuggle with it, it might not be fooled for very long.

We did have some success with a chick that hatched by itself, being too small to put in with others, but it was in the same room. It could see and hear the other chicks. We used a hot water bottle thing and a stuffed animal and it was relatively happy. However, being that it was raised relatively alone, she got handled a lot - good - but had NO idea how to "act" like a chicken when she was introduced to the others. She literally ran from them in fear!! It took her awhile to adjust to the idea that she was a chicken and not a person.

 

[BeautifulBlue]

I too use an R-Com 3 incubator, and had the same problem you did. One chick growing. She's now a month old and she did absolutely fine growing up on her own. I originally put some more eggs in the incubator as soon as she hatched, but none of those grew either so gave in. She's happy, she's just a normal chicken. I have her outside now, she does ordinary chicken things lol. But I have her outside with my quails, she's about the same size as them so they get on great while she's small.
I'm still trying to hatch out more eggs at the minute. But I think until you can work out a way to get some more chickens, your lone chick will be absolutely fine.

 

[swift081702]

We had one chick hatch out of our 7 Cochin eggs this past week. She is doing fine, but is only 1 week old. We go in the room throughout the day to handle her and she can see and hear the other older chicks now 4 weeks old. We were expecting our Lt. Sussex chicks last week, so were hoping for friends for her. However, their arrival was delayed. We'll have Silkies hatching this week, so we'll put them together once they are ready to be taken out of the bator.

 

[Fingers crossed]

Quote:
I think its Harleston, Suffolk. The magazine is Practical Poultry... has quite a few breeders listed in there near the back. There is one guy who i know has chicks but he is near Woodbridge.... not sure how far you would want to travel though.... his are all bantams.

 

[eggsrcool]

To be honest, no more than 15-20 miles. Surely it can be raised alone then if I take it outside, but not let go to see the rest of my flock so it can socialise? My temperature around here has been around 20oC, so will that be too cold?

 

[eggsrcool]

Right, I have an idea of putting it in my introductory pen, next to my flock, where it can see and interact a bit with the adults when its a few weeks old and take it back in under the lamp. Maybe a few times a day for its first weeks of life, then at 8 weeks or so let it join the flock?

 

[taraann81]

Quote:
I find it strange that you asked this question and even though the overwhelming majority of people who answered said you should get another, you post that "surely you can raise it alone". My question is why ask if you don't take the advice that people give you?

Anyways, I would contact your chicken supplier, the one who you said supplies roosters, ready to lay pullets and hatching eggs. He may just know someone in your area with chicks or hatching eggs due to hatch around the same time as yours,

Good luck and remember the people on here are trying to help, many of them are VERY knowledgeable and you could learn a lot by heeding the answers they give to your questions.

I have learned a lot from this site.