Help! My New Baby Chick has extreme separation anxiety!

[ColoradoBarb]

We just got 2 chicks from our local ranch/feed store and have them in a large brooder inside. We have 3 hens, and wanted to add a few to the flock, so this isn’t our first time raising chicks. We brought them home 6 hours ago, and one of the chicks is incredibly stressed when we aren’t *right* there. Running back and forth, chirp chirp chirping non-stop, jumping to try and reach us. She hasn’t slept at all since we got her, except for a few minutes when I‘ve held her. The Brooder is very roomy, plenty of warm and cool spots. She is eating and drinking, especially when we are around and have calmed her. The other chick is typical and naps/eats here and there, like our prior experience. I put a small towel and a stuffed animal in there, but not much help. I can hear her from the other room now! Any other suggestions?? I’m afraid she‘s going to die from stress on our first night!!!!

 

[K0k0shka]

I just hatched a bunch of chicks and one of mine was like that. I have a heating pad cave for warmth, and it would come out to look for me and then get cold and lonely, and start crying, and refuse to go back inside even after I'd stuff it back in. It was the second to hatch and I moved it to the brooder together with the first one, so there were 2 chicks in there. The first was like you describe - eats, naps, whatever. Stayed in the cave to get warm. The other one wanted to be with me rather than with its buddy. What ultimately broke the pattern was when more chicks started hatching, and I kept moving more and more of them to the brooder. When it got more company, it started to settle down. And eventually the crying stopped. I think when they're that young, their memory is not that great, so even if they have a buddy, and especially if the brooder is spacious, they walk 2 feet and suddenly they're all alone, and freak out. But with more chicks in there, or a smaller brooder, they can't get too far and start feeling lonely. Do you think you could add another chick or two? Or just spend more time near the brooder until it gets used to its new life. Maybe bring something to do that's just near the brooder, like folding laundry or a laptop to work on, so you're within sight and within earshot, and talk to it so it knows you're there, but not RIGHT there, to get it accustomed to more distance from you. Not all or nothing, but gradually increasing the distance until you're out of sight, so it can adapt.

My chicks are 3 weeks old now and that needy chick still really likes me No more crying and it enjoys life with 10 hatch-mates, but still comes running when it sees me and perches on my arm while I clean or feed them. It's nice to have a little friend like that.

 

[ColoradoBarb]

Thank you for your response! That makes me feel better... My gut instinct is exactly as you said... To add a few more friends. I just took both chicks into an enclosed space where they could sit in my lap, explore, etc. The chatty girl wasn’t content to stay in my lap, but crawled up my arm, pecked at my earring/hair, across my neck, tried to get my freckles. She’s going to be a handful, I can tell! OK, it’s off to the shower now...

 

[ColoradoBarb]

Okay, a brief follow up... Someone on another site recommended to put a mirror in the brooder. This has helped a lot!!! “Piper” (her new moniker) has settled down next to her mirror buddy. Still chirping, but more chatty and less stressed. Yay!!

 

[nszrmch]

Yay!! I love having mirrors in my brooder for the little ones. Fun for them but also for me
I always end up with more chicks than I initially planned (was only supposed to add two this year... got four oooops)
Would love to see some pics of your little ones if you get a chance!

 

[ColoradoBarb]

A belated thank you for your help! Here are Pepa and Sugar from a week ago. They are growing like crazy! It's warm enough now that they can enjoy daily outings.