Down to only one chick left :( ?!?!?!

[wrcogan76]

So last Sunday I picked up 3 baby chicks; 2 and 1 week old molted D’uccles and a 5 days old Golden Seabright. I got them to add to my three 15 week cochin bantams (once big enough). Once I saw the place, I should have ran. I took them though.
The Seabright died within 2 days, the 1 week old had a sore (I nursed back to health), pasty butt (got that under control), the 2 week old showed signs of coccidiosis- treating that. Well the 1 week old, 2 weeks old today is now dead.

SOOOOO... what the heck? Can I keep a 3 week old chick by itself and then expect it to do well with others in the future?

Should I do anything to report that breeder?

 

[Stipenvlerk]

So last Sunday I picked up 3 baby chicks; 2 and 1 week old molted D’uccles and a 5 days old Golden Seabright. I got them to add to my three 15 week cochin bantams (once big enough). Once I saw the place, I should have ran. I took them though.
The Seabright died within 2 days, the 1 week old had a sore (I nursed back to health), pasty butt (got that under control), the 2 week old showed signs of coccidiosis- treating that. Well the 1 week old, 2 weeks old today is now dead.

SOOOOO... what the heck? Can I keep a 3 week old chick by itself and then expect it to do well with others in the future?

Should I do anything to report that breeder?

well it’s quite a story you’ve just told.
I would definitely go back to the place where you got them and discuss your experience and problems.
And apart from that I would check if others have the same experience with this place and If the answer is yes. Yes report them.

Reporting Them is a big thing to do so don’t use it as your first action

If there are obvious signs of animal neglect or abuse I would not wait and ask someone to go and check the place out.
But first let the hatchery know about your problems.

 

[NatJ]

SOOOOO... what the heck? Can I keep a 3 week old chick by itself and then expect it to do well with others in the future?

It's certainly not the ideal situation, but there are a few options.

Do you think the chick might have anything contagious? If so, you might just cull (kill) the chick. Sad, but could help protect your other birds.

If you think the chick is healthy, then you might house it in a coop, cage, or run next to the others, with only wire fencing between them. This will prevent it being as lonely.

You may be able to introduce this one chick to the others fairly soon. See these two articles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/integrating-new-birds-at-4-weeks-old.72603/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/

You could also look for another source of chicks, and buy a few more to put with the one.
If you have a large enough brooder, you could put younger chicks with this one, possibly even combining day-old chicks with the three week old. Especially if you have multiple little ones with a single larger one.

Large enough brooder means they have space to get away from each other, and also means that one end can be warm enough for tiny babies and the other end cool enough for the bigger one, so they can all move back and forth to be comfortable.

 

[wrcogan76]

well it’s quite a story you’ve just told.
I would definitely go back to the place where you got them and discuss your experience and problems.
And apart from that I would check if others have the same experience with this place and If the answer is yes. Yes report them.

Reporting Them is a big thing to do so don’t use it as your first action

If there are obvious signs of animal neglect or abuse I would not wait and ask someone to go and check the place out.
But first let the hatchery know about your problems.

It was like a home “hatchery” with larger areas looking okay and then in the garage large plastic bins being used as “brooders” so full of church’s they were on top of each other. Chick “nonmedicated” in big bags just sitting open and then one side hens, I guess in these metal things.
I had prepaid for 3 Mille Fleurs and he had given them to someone else earlier by mistake.
I contacted him about the sore and he was like “probably just a pecking injury, it will be fine”.
I Really don’t want anything from him. I just don’t know if all we saw was okay.

 

[Stipenvlerk]

It was like a home “hatchery” with larger areas looking okay and then in the garage large plastic bins being used as “brooders” so full of church’s they were on top of each other. Chick “nonmedicated” in big bags just sitting open and then one side hens, I guess in these metal things.
I had prepaid for 3 Mille Fleurs and he had given them to someone else earlier by mistake.
I contacted him about the sore and he was like “probably just a pecking injury, it will be fine”.
I Really don’t want anything from him. I just don’t know if all we saw was okay.

Than personally I would take my loss and don’t buy poultry at that place.

 

[wrcogan76]

It was like a home “hatchery” with larger areas looking okay and then in the garage large plastic bins being used as “brooders” so full of church’s they were on top of each other. Chick “nonmedicated” in big bags just sitting open and then one side hens, I guess in these metal things.
I had prepaid for 3 Mille Fleurs and he had given them to someone else earlier by mistake.
I contacted him about the sore and he was like “probably just a pecking injury, it will be fine”.
I Really don’t want anything from him. I just don’t know if all we saw was okay.

Chicks not church’s

 

[esme13]

I like what NatJ said. Please be careful about introducing the new last chick to your flock. It could be a carrier or it may not. I’m so sorry you had that bad of an experience and the breeder should have listened to your concerns.

 

[wrcogan76]

I like what NatJ said. Please be careful about introducing the new last chick to your flock. It could be a carrier or it may not. I’m so sorry you had that bad of an experience and the breeder should have listened to your concerns.

We decided to cull it confident that is was not healthy.

 

[Birdie mom]

Chicks die all the time. Even if you care for them very well, sometimes they just get sick. Don't report the hatchery. My very first hatch about 5 out of 9 died. The next hatch 3 out of 8 died. Now, after a few years one chick died of sickness out of 8. Immunity is gained after several generations, passed down from hen to chick. I assume that this chick didn't have much immunity to anything as he wasn't exposed to anything. If this chick survives then he/she will have immunity to whatever she has had and will pass it down to her chicks.

 

[Birdie mom]

Oh no! I just saw your post, I'm sorry you had to cull the chick. RIP. Chick..