Chick unaccepted, what to do?

[ej1222]

Help! I have a chick/chicken who is fully feathered and healthy. I let him (Snow Drop is his name, very manly I know) out of the brooder later than the others because he was not ready. Now he is all alone, his 4 friends don't care about him. I know that, that is not choice, I tried to put him with the others constantly, It did not go so well. I had him in the brooder with four friends, who i am giving away. Snow drop and the four other ones were a lot younger than the others and had to wait another week to get out because they were not all fully feathered. Help please!!!!!!

 

[LizzzyJo]

You could set him up in a look-don't-touch area with them for a few days or weeks. How old are they? How long was he away? Could you keep one of the 4 give-aways? Two would be a much better option here so that he isn't scared, alone, or a target.

 

[NatJ]

Can you put just one of the bigger ones back with the group in the brooder? If that goes well, wait a day or so and put one more of the big chicks in. And a day or two later, put in the last two.

That would hopefully cause all the chicks to think of themselves as one big group, but by adding the older chicks one or two at a time you keep them from being able to gang up and bully the little ones. And then when you give away the other young ones, hopfully the big ones would still consider Snow Drop would be part of their group.

This might work, or might not, because sometimes chickens act differently than other times, but I think it has a good chance of working.

The idea @LizzzyJo suggested, letting Snow Drop live next to the other chicks for a bit (separated by wire mesh) also tends to work well. The chickens get used to living near each other, but cannot hurt each other.

 

[ej1222]

I am giving away that group today

 

[ej1222]

but I could only give away three, certainly I do have my favorites

 

[NatJ]

I am giving away that group today

In that case, try having Snow Drop live next to the others with wire mesh between them.
In a few days or a week, try letting him join them.

If some of them refuse to allow him, let him live beside them for longer but see if you can move one into his space as a companion for him. Then a few days later maybe another. Then try again to combine the groups, because then it'll be a group of two and a group of 3, instead of only one trying to join four.

but I could only give away three, certainly I do have my favorites

Yes, keeping one of Snow Drop's current buddies could help.

 

[ej1222]

we have a weird pen, sadly the chickens share with the goats and I don't exactly own the farm. So try as hard as I might I can't change that. I will have to ask the owner.

 

[ej1222]

I think that I can only give away three then see if they will mix, by slowly putting them together in like a dog cage in the chicken house so it is not half so hot.

 

[NatJ]

A dog cage inside the chicken house can be a good way to start!

 

[Swbertrand1]

Another option, in the best interest of the health and well-being of the chick, is to let him/her go with the 4 other chicks too... I know that's not what you want to hear, but we are facing that right now with two babies. Not knowing if one might be a rooster, we'd let the two go together if one turns out to be a roo because they are INSEPARABLE. We just couldn't break them up... The other option is keeping one of the ones you're giving away.