One Lonely Chick

[The Monkey Mama]

I had a batch of Buff Orpington eggs due to hatch yesterday and I had some temp problems with the incubator [again

] and killed off most of them.

ONE lonely little baby hatched. He is in the brooder right now, but he really seems sad to be alone. He is very healthy and cute as a button, but I know chickens are social creatures ... I have some older chicks that I might be able to put in with him but I'm worried about him getting picked on or harmed.

I have one 7 week old silkie bantam that is tiny - but still bigger than the newborn buff O. It seems gentle. Maybe I could put him in?

Or I have some 3 week old Old English Game bantams that are tiny also and about the same size as the Buff O newborn - BUT, they are pretty feisty. I thought of putting one of them in, but I am worried it might kill the little Buff O.

I have 12 Ameraucana eggs due to hatch in 3 more days - would the buff O be OK if I wait and see if those hatch? Many of them are developing well and I'm hoping some of them will hatch - surely at least ONE friend for the Buff O will hatch...

What would you guys do?

Kelly

 

[davidb]

it will be fine just lonley

 

[crazychicken]

here is my story

i hatched a little clutch of eggs when they were three months old i sold all but one.i kept the one by itself for a while until another small clutch hatched i put her in with the day olds and the day olds beat her up ( not literally it was like a big teenager being attacked by a bunch of five year olds she did not retaliate or fight back and after a little of that by night fall they were sleeping under her wings like she was a big mother bird we spent extra time alone with her and she was the tamest and sweetest bird i ever had she would come when called she would perch on my shoulder and stay there and she would follow us around she was so imprinted on us it was so sweet. we put her into the big pen with the others when she was six months old but the beat her up like a baby being surrounded by people bigger than her. she was never really excepted into the big flock but then a surprise over night cold snap came and temperatures dropped to the teens and when i went after school to check on her she was dead on the ground we buried her and cried for a week she was the nicest pet we ever had. so if you play with it and become its companion and never let it get cold

you will be rewarded ten fold

 

[buckbeak]

Make a post and ask for someone nearby you who has just recently hatched also aand is willing to sell you one so it can have a friend. I did that in September when the same thing happened here & lots of people jumped to help out. Just when I was planning to go to another BYCer I heard peeping & 3 more hatched. Lots of people here were willing to help. It also helped that I was willing to take any kind of day old too.


You could try it with the Silkie, but I'd watch them VERY carefully.
Good luck!

 

[cgmccary]

If it were me, I'd purchase a chick to go with it. One chick gets very lonely and needs at least, one other. Until you do, put a mirror in there for its company.

 

[danischi24]

Just wait 3 days or so. It won't pine to death in that time

. Chickens are social but a week without company wont cause any lasting harm. Some chickens live alone with people all their lives-it's not ideal but they survive happily.

 

[craig g]

I had 2 banty eggs hatch after a week one died. The second chick chirped and chirped after I took the dead one out. I had to get up at 2 in the morning and put a stuffed santa in with it. That did it ; it shut up climbed on top and went to sleep. Three days later and we don't hear a peep now. When we check on him he is snuggled up with santa.

 

[Ms. Lewis Rich]

I brood those in a 10 gallon aquarium in the kitchen with a mirror and a beanie baby with eyes.
Its really going to like you! LOL