help me please i have my first baby

[baxtor698]

my girlfriend and i rescued a baby chick when its momma didnt want it. my question is, do we really need a heat lamp? right now we have him in a shoe box with a couple stuffed animals and the purina start and grow food. we need to get a small water bowl or something soon for him. right now we let him drink bottled water out of the lid. we also keep him with us most of the time during the day. if i am at school my girlfriend watches him, if she is at work, i watch him. when we are not home, her mom watches him. also, when is it safe to put him with the other chicks and their mom or is it not safe? if anybody can offer me some advice, it would be GREATLY appreciated! thanks in advance!

 

[asher]

Yeah, it needs some kind of heat source to keep it to the warm temp that it needs. That could be as simple as a clip on desk lamp with a 60 watt bulb, though. It doesn't specifically have to be a heat lamp.

What is the age difference between he and the other chicks with the broody mother? If they are close in age, I might try fostering him to her instead of messing with brooding him as an only.

 

[warmfuzzies]

If he is just hatched he needs to stay warm. 95 deg the first week, and no less then 90 deg the second. He doesnt need watched all day long, he will be fine as long as you dont have a water dish he can drown in.

If you keep him away from momma, and raise him, she wont see him as her own, and you will have to wait untill he is well grown to reintroduce them. Like 8 weeks, at least. Probably older.

If he is very young, you may be able to slip him under her at night. But she could kill him or kick him out. I have never done this, just read about it. Some one who has more experience will be able to tell you more about that part of it. Good luck!

 

[baxtor698]

the other chicks were born the same day as the one we are caring for. he was kind of stuck in the egg at first and my girlfriend had to help him out of it because she thought that he was dead. but i do believe that they were born maybe 30 minutes before "henry" was. that is what we decided to name him. and i also think that the mom right now would kill him. another question. he's a little slow at learning to walk, all the others walk around all day with their mom, but he doesn't quite walk yet. do you guys think he's just a slow learner?

 

[asher]

How old is he? They should be on their feet and walking by the time they are dried out from hatching. I'd be concerned about spraddle leg or tendon problems if he's still not walking.

 

[baxtor698]

he is 2 days old. he walks a little bit, he is getting better, its just that i dont think he could walk around the whole yard like his siblings do.

 

[Umbral_Necropolitan]

I'm no expert with chickens but he might be a runt who is just underdeveloped... which would explain not being able to hatch on his own. I personally would watch him and see if his leg strength improves... and if it doesn't improve... well it depends on why you own chickens on what you would do with a chicken with a limp.

 

[baxtor698]

we have a few grown chickens at the house but this one is by far my absolute favorite and if he had a limp i wouldnt care because he is totally adorable and worth having around no matter what.

 

[baxtor698]

i just wanted to post some pictures of my baby on here and another question. would ya'll know what kind of chick he is?

 

[Umbral_Necropolitan]

Looks like an OEG (Old English Game) chickie to me but like I said before I"m no expert, here is a site that has pictures of chickens and chickies, might help you identify him.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKBabyChicks.html