HELP! Ive got a single chick!

[Cochinlover104]

Ok, here's the deal. One of my broody cochins hatched 1 chick and the left the nest and the chick ended up stuck behind a hay bale. I found it about 20 mins she left I would say because the eggs were warm still and the chick is fine. I put it in the nursery I have and put momma hen in there with it. Its her first chick, and she was pecking at it and wouldn't let it under her so I removed her. What I need advice on is how the heck you raise a chicken by itself! I'm lost on this one!

 

[Erica]

Hi Cochinlover104,

That's happened here as well, just over a week ago. I went out and bought more chicks so I could raise a batch (I first thought the little guy was blind, but he began reacting to light after a day, so all's well).

You might do that, or you could try letting the hen sit where she was (moving her probably upset her) and see if she'll take the chick if it's slipped under her at night. However that's fairly risky given that she may well have turfed it out of the nest in the first place. If my hen had kept sitting I would have done that rather than bought new chicks.

Otherwise, raising a solo chick yourself can be done, but is a little hard on the chick and it will chirp a lot. Some people add fluffy toys to the brooder but I'd just go buy more chicks (from somewhere disease free if possible).

best of luck with it,
Erica

 

[Cochinlover104]

I went everywhere that had chicks this spring and they all told me I couldn't get young chicks anymore because the season was over. I live in a small area, closest mall is 100+ miles ya know? I drove 5 hours, over a mountain pass, to even find cochins last year. The hen left the nest on her own(it was atop 3 bales of hay and none of the hens had hatched anything all spring so we figured our old rooster wasn't fertile anymore so we just left her there) and the chick fell about 3 feet into a trough with hay in it and was in there when we found it. So as she was fretting around outside the trough(that we use as a brooder) we decided to just put her in there to reunite them and that's when she started pecking it. My hens are so laid back I can't imagine it was stress of being moved from the floor into where her chick is but maybe? As of now its in my room(loud little bugger) in a brooder I made and we will see what happens I guess.

 

[cary 1973]

if you look through the post a lady ended up with one chick all ogther died in shipment anyways stuffed animail and mirror and i think feater duster has gotten her chick happy

 

[cary 1973]

read this link i think it will really help ou

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...chick-who-survived-the-trip-through-the-mails