Can one chick survive on its own?

That's a hard one to answer, but do you know anyone near you who might have chicks of a similar age? As long as they're disease free you could buy or borrow a mate for your little one.
Sorry about your damaged bird. It's one of the hardest things with hatching and raising little ones...

 

If you lose one and want to find a buddy for the other (please don't kill it) check Craigslist. Either that or advertise that you have a single chick that you're willing to give away. You shouldn't have any problem rehoming it that way. Having said all that, I hope your unwell chick recovers and that you can continue to raise the two of them together. My heart goes out to you.

 

this may seem like a silly question, but is the chick all right in every other way? if so, have you tried splinting the leg? I know I'm a newb with no rl experience, but I was just reading in Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens about leg problems. It seems worth a shot... then again, I've got a mopey chick I'm terrified of losing so at this point it would probably seem reasonable to me to tell you to get an artificial leg for the chick if it would save it's life

 

I had a BO pullet one time that I got because she was the only one they had, one thing lead to another and it was 2 weeks before I could get more chicks, I am possitive she would have done just fine on her own if I had not gotten the others. I would risk it if the injured one doesnt make it.

 

One chicken can live happily if it has something or someone to be it's buddy. If it can't hang out with a goat, dog, cat, etc. or with you in the house then it would be lonely. I have known chickens that buddied up with a horse and a goat and was quite happy. I think it would be easier to get one more chick, though.

 

I have a chick whose siblings died, and is now too old to introduce other chicks. He is 3 weeks old, and all my other chicks are 1 week old. He's been doing fine thus far. He absolutely loves me, and rides on my shoulder while I walk around the house. I swear I think he is partially potty trained too. He will sit in my lap for an hour and never poop, I put him in the grass, and he will crap 4 times in about 2 minutes.

Here he is:

 

I suggest checking out the 'chicken diaper' website! but don't let it in with the big birds. I did this with a Lone silkie chick that was about 8 weeks old, and all was fine for about 3 days and then one day she was down and limp and had her neck feathers pulled, a hen had attacked her.


This is a rowdy little red-headed chick who took up with my Royal Palm Tom, he slept this way every night until he got too big to sneak under that wing. Funny how that turkey watched out for him.