adopted a rejected chick--looking for help

[AprilH]

Hi-where I live in FL, there's a city that protects chickens and they roam freely. One was found on train tracks the other night. When one of the people I knew returned it to a nearby nest, it was rejected. I've always wanted chickens, so she gave it to me.





Here are my questions I hope you can help me with (and I have a chick waterer in there now, along with a proper chick feeder...my brother has a farm in NC and has been schooling me, along with much reading on Google.)

-Does anyone know what breed this might be?
-Or, a way to tell the sex from appearance?
-Also, should I have two to keep it company? If so, how can I go about getting just one for it? From what I can tell, min order is 3-4.

She seems much better and energetic now...she wasn't doing so well at first, but this week shall be telling.

Any help or additional input is HIGHLY appreciated!! Thank you.

 

[justplainbatty]

Hi-where I live in FL, there's a city that protects chickens and they roam freely. One was found on train tracks the other night. When one of the people I knew returned it to a nearby nest, it was rejected. I've always wanted chickens, so she gave it to me.





Here are my questions I hope you can help me with (and I have a chick waterer in there now, along with a proper chick feeder...my brother has a farm in NC and has been schooling me, along with much reading on Google.)

-Does anyone know what breed this might be?
-Or, a way to tell the sex from appearance?
-Also, should I have two to keep it company? If so, how can I go about getting just one for it? From what I can tell, min order is 3-4.

She seems much better and energetic now...she wasn't doing so well at first, but this week shall be telling.

Any help or additional input is HIGHLY appreciated!! Thank you.

If you already wanted chickens, I would get her 3 or 4 friends. It appears to be an EE but it's really hard to know if there are loose chickens procreating all over town. A lone chicken is a depressed chicken. Chickens are very social, that's why they live in flocks. For now, put a mirror in there so it feels less lonely and of course, love on it all you can! Best wishes to you and chicky and

 

[minihorse927]

I would find another chick about the same age for it to grow up with. They really are meant to be raised in groups. Check out craigslist and also check out local feed stores. I know it's a little early for chicks at feed stores but you might get lucky. I wish you and the little one the best of luck and

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I would find another chick about the same age for it to grow up with. They really are meant to be raised in groups. Check out craigslist and also check out local feed stores. I know it's a little early for chicks at feed stores but you might get lucky. I wish you and the little one the best of luck and

x2

 

[My own chickens]

Good luck with your chick(s)!
(Beware of chicken math!)

 

[Sirius452]

I was in this situation last year. I found a feral chick and found out quickly that lonely chicks are LOUD. I called more than 8 feed stores before I found similar size chicks. I suggest you call, search craigslist, ect.

My grandmother raised a rejected chicken by himself and although he was a pain in the rear he turned out just fine. It's not ideal though.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I was in this situation last year. I found a feral chick and found out quickly that lonely chicks are LOUD. I called more than 8 feed stores before I found similar size chicks. I suggest you call, search craigslist, ect.

My grandmother raised a rejected chicken by himself and although he was a pain in the rear he turned out just fine. It's not ideal though.

My first hatch bombed due to a faulty thermometer and I ended up with one hatcher. Yes, he was loud...lol FIrst two nights I slept on the floor beside the brooder so he could see me and I could stick my hand in to quiet him down. Third night I moved the brooder in my room beside my bed so that I could get some sleep. He was often out with us once he wasn't so dependent on the brooder light and he has turned into a pet because of this. I would definitly try to find it a friend. Mine turned out fine and at about two months old my second hatch yielded 13 and their brooder went across from his pen and it made a lot of difference, esp at night.

 

[AprilH]

Thank you so much for this advice. I'll call around today. I put a mirror in the brooder and she certainly seemed to like THAT. Makes me think she's lonely. However, she's not very loud. She (I'm hoping it's a she!!) seems content and just chirps away here and there. I've heard her yelling/demanding. It's definitely loud, but she hasn't done that past the first night and I've had her 4 days now. She also seems to love being held, perks up when we visit (which is often, as I work from home) and I've put a radio in the spare bathroom with her on low. Noticed she likes music.

But yeah...another friend or 3 might be ideal. I'll go search now. Thank you SO much for the mirror tip Justplainbatty and advice!

If any of you can think of anything else, I'm all ears and happy to receive it!!

 

[Maitlandchick]

I recommend getting at least three more chicks in case they do not all survive or you end up with a rooster. Even if roosters are allowed, you may not like it. Last year our city in Florida passed a law allowing four hens (with a permit), no roosters. We had to raise five chicks before we ended up with three hens. Like you, we rescued our first three chicks. Someone we know had purchased them, but was not allowed to have them. We had to build the coop fast! We then added two more chicks because I suspected one of the first three was a rooster. We confirmed that when it started crowing every morning at 6 am disturbing the neighbors. One of the two chicks we added turned out to be a rooster as well. We found a great home for the two roosters on a farm outside of town. After we found the home for the second rooster, our chicken coop became a wonderful, sweet, stressfree place to live for our three hens, and for us to visit. The roosters were so mean and scared us! Our hens are so much happier without the bossy mean roosters around.

Keep in mind that chickens are initially expensive. We did not pay for labor on our coop since the family built it, but we spent close to $500 on the building supplies/paint. Plus $50 for the permit! We have a sturdy, predator proof coop. There are creative ways to do it with older lumber, old playhouses, etc. so you could bring the cost down for sure if you have help. We have not regretted our decision to raise chickens for a moment. Good luck!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I recommend getting at least three more chicks in case they do not all survive or you end up with a rooster. Even if roosters are allowed, you may not like it. Last year our city in Florida passed a law allowing four hens (with a permit), no roosters. We had to raise five chicks before we ended up with three hens. Like you, we rescued our first three chicks. Someone we know had purchased them, but was not allowed to have them. We had to build the coop fast! We then added two more chicks because I suspected one of the first three was a rooster. We confirmed that when it started crowing every morning at 6 am disturbing the neighbors. One of the two chicks we added turned out to be a rooster as well. We found a great home for the two roosters on a farm outside of town. After we found the home for the second rooster, our chicken coop became a wonderful, sweet, stressfree place to live for our three hens, and for us to visit. The roosters were so mean and scared us! Our hens are so much happier without the bossy mean roosters around.

Keep in mind that chickens are initially expensive. We did not pay for labor on our coop since the family built it, but we spent close to $500 on the building supplies/paint. Plus $50 for the permit! We have a sturdy, predator proof coop. There are creative ways to do it with older lumber, old playhouses, etc. so you could bring the cost down for sure if you have help. We have not regretted our decision to raise chickens for a moment. Good luck!

I love my roos!! They have so much more personality than my hens....lol But I hatched mine and brooded inside where they have had a ton of socialization. Unfortunetly my last hatch yeilded 7 roos, (possible 8-one is still undecided yet.) and 5 have to go. Not the easiest thing to do. Even "giving them away" is proving to be hard. They do tend to be a bit pushy and arrogant and last night for the first time my "main guy" decided to become all mature and try to ride one of the hens and boy she did not like that. Then again they aren't mature or even laying yet so I don't blame her. It'll be interesting to see how well I like them come this spring. They don't usually crow too early, around 8 ish so that's not too bad, hope they stick to that schedule...lol