Can you raise a baby chick by itself?

[gameboygal12]

I had 2 eggs die the other day because the incubator got to hot. One of them is still alive and is due to hatch this coming week. Is it ok to raise a chick by itself? or does it need a friend to know how to socialize? I don't know if I have access to get another baby chick for it. I have a broody hen, Can I let her adopt it?

 

[Chickenrandomness]

technically you can, but if you want it to be with other chickens, no. if you raise it by itself, it would consider humans its flock and would not socialize correctly

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

I had a lone silkie hatch in march. Mumbles bonded with me and cuddles with me. However, I did manage to hatch 5 more silkies the next month. I put them all in a brooder box with a screen between them so Mumbles could see and hear the chicks but not hurt them. After a week I let them be all together and they are now a little flock. Mumbles turned out to be a boy. He still needs attention from his chicken mommy at 3 months but has learned to be a chicken from the other hooligans. I would try putting the new chick under the broody at night and see if she accepts it. If not, please get it some friends. Chickens are social creatures and do not do well alone. I spent a lot of time holding Mumbles because he was so lonely. I dont do it very often now as I want him to be a chicken and he seems to be adjusting well.

 

[ladybug99]

I hatched out two chicks a few weeks ago... I had to cull one because it was just not doing well. So now I only have one chick left. What I found since she bonded with the other chick she missed it greatly and she imeadaitely became attached to me. I don't want to raise a house chicken so my only option was to put her in with the big girls seperated by a dogs cage each day. She goes down with the big hens in the morning and comes back in the house at night. Each day I am finding her less and less wanting to come back to the house.

I had a broody hen as well and she did not accept my chick because it was already two weeks old. I would suggest you try that option. If the chick is newly hatched and your broody will accept it that is a perfect. If not be prepared to have one very needy chick on your hands. I put a feather duster in with her and she snuggled with it at night as well as several stuffed chickens.

The best option is to find some more baby chicks and let them grow up together. Where did you get the eggs from....maybe they have some chicks you can buy as well.

 

[ScissorChick]

I have raised quite a few chicks by themselves due to mom not wanting the baby anymore, or sudden injury.

All the chicks that I have raised alone have problems socializing, and usually have to be kept alone, as others
have mentioned. Lonely chicks will scream for company that most people just do not have the time to give.
I would sneak the baby under the broody. He'll still be the only chick, but he will be raised by a chicken,

not a human. If you must raise the baby, run to the local feed store and pick up a couple more chicks whenever

possible, give him a feather duster, or stuffed animal to snuggle with if he's ever alone. It's heart breaking
to have a chicken who cannot have friends. I have one hen who's siblings were killed at a couple days old,
And 'Lucky' was severly injured. In order to save her, I had to raise her myself, but I was never able to get

a buddy or a gentle hen to keep her company. She was timid and scared being around other birds at first,
and she still cannot be around other hens. But we've been very lucky at finding gentle roosters to be a
friend for her. Sorry your in this situation, and very sorry about your eggs

 

[gameboygal12]

Thanks for all the help guys!

I'll try to see if our feed store has any newborns. If they don't, I'll try to let my broody hen adopt it.

 

[galanie]

I hope you can find your baby some buddies. I have a lone polish right now that I try to get around the others but being so much smaller, as you can guess, they try to bully her constantly so I have to put her in a small pen by herself right now. She's only 6 weeks old and sleeps in a bird cage in the house

Theres another polish that is sort of a loner (only one egg hatched there but a broody raised it) but she's so much bigger then this one. Still, sometimes when I have Dot out in her pen, the lone polish comes up and sort of hangs close to her. I hope to goodness they become friends.

 

[HOUDINI1961]

I myself raised a chick by itself. It's Mother and siblings were killed by a wild animal so I took it home so the other hens would not attack it. I named the chick "Lucky".

The chick cried every time it could not see me. I literally did not leave the house for 4 days, staying by the chicks side. I pretty much became it's Mommy. It used to sleep under my neck some of the time. I'm a guy and I now see what women go through with a newborn. I couldn't even take a shower, I had to wait for my room mate to come home.

Then I read online that chicks should not be alone so I finally brought home a one week old chick, Lucky was 2 weeks old by now. He kept pecking at her face, he was jealous every time I held her. I finally had to take her back because I was affraid Lucky would peck one of her eyes out.

Lucky is a year and a half old now and has settled into a coop nicely. He has a special hen now who he watches out for.

But being an only chick(child), he still gets upset when I hold my other rooster or even a hen. He has flown up and tried to get into my arms when I was holding another animal. I wonder if human "only child's" also become spoiled with attention.

I guess this will just be his personality. He is very lovable though, loves to be in my arms and carried around and most of the time closes his eyes and sometimes goes to sleep. I guess I am still his Mommy, I do love him dearly, just wish he wasn't so jealous of others.

So morale of the story is, yes, I guess one should get a friend for a single chick as fast as possible. I'm just lucky that my "Lucky" has bonded with a hen, Amy and does socialize with other chickens. I just can't hold another animal while he is around on the ground, or watch out!!!

 

[jack bache]

simple answer YES

 

[cmom]

I agree with the other posts and have had lone chicks too. Chickens are flock animals.