Help my lonely little chick!

[silverstatue]

Hi everyone! My family and I are trying to hatch some eggs in the incubator but unfortunately only one has hatched so far (yesterday). It's possible more will hatch but in case they don't, what should we do for the one little chick to help him survive? He looks healthy but so, so lonely. We put a little stuffed animal in the box with him and he snuggles against it.

None of the farms around me have baby chicks for sale. I found a place that would be willing to give us six but A. we don't have a set up for that many and B. those chicks were born last Wednesday, so they're 7 days old as opposed to our little guy who is 1 day old.

So my question is, does he have any chance of growing up happy and healthy if he's on his own? Or should I put him in with the six much bigger chicks who might hurt him? We have nine grown chickens (8 hens and 1 rooster) outside in the coop so eventually he will have to integrate with them. I've read that chicks that grow up alone have great difficulty socializing.

I do have one hen that has been sitting on eggs for a month now with no results. Should i put him in with her? What if she or one of the other hens hurts him? I'm so worried.

Any advise is truly appreciated. My heart is breaking for this poor little guy.

 

[sourland]

Put a mirror in with him. He will become his own best buddy.

 

[carolinasculpture]

Hi! I would try to slip the little chic under the hen at night, but watch closely to see if she accepts the little one. This may be beneficial to both the hen and the baby! Good luck!

 

[silverstatue]

Thanks for the advice, guys! We put a mirror in with him last night and he seemed to like it. But best of all, this morning a new chick hatched! So now my lonely little guy has a friend and they are both cuddling together.

 

[FridayYet]

Great news!