Help! Newbie here

[plmcmillan]

Hi! I got a suprise this morning. My uncle showed up at my house with a chick. He said he was giving it to my kids. I am a home schooling mom of 5. I need to know what to do right now for this baby until I can get to a feed store! I am attaching a pic of the little chick for identification. I am pretty sure he/she isn't brand new, but still very young. Thanks for your help!

 

[TXmom]

Wow, what a surprise! Chickens don't like to be alone so she needs a friend or 3!

They need a "flock".

I don't know how old she is, but at least several weeks, so a heat lamp isn't too much of an issue as long as it's not too cold there. You probably don't have chick starter/grower on hand yet, so you can feed her scrambled or hard-boiled eggs in the mean time, or maybe some oat meal. Obviously she needs water. Check out the "Learning Center" on this site for chick info, but she's not that young so some of that info might be irrelevant at this point.

 

[TXmom]

Oh, and by looking at her pic, my guess is she's a female Easter Egger (that's the more accurate name for an Ameraucana that is not completely true and pure-bred). Do a search for Ameraucanas on the internet and this site, and you'll get lots of info about them. I have 4 Easter Eggers and love them. 3 of mine lay blue eggs and the other lays a green egg...they are sooooo pretty!

 

[plmcmillan]

Do you know where to look to try to identify her? I can only find pics of adult birds. Do I need to try to find more chicks around her age, or does it matter? Thank you so much for your reply!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Defiantely look like an Easter Egger Female. I would say 4 - 6 weeks old. if you found some day old chicks or chicks a little older than her, or anywhere in between you would be fine and she would adapt. There might be some pecking at first, but that is how they get to know each other. Just remember anything younger that this one would require heat and houseing that is free from drafts.

 

[plmcmillan]

How exciting! Thank you! I can't wait to get this little girl settled in!

 

[beckymom3]

Look at feathersite.com

Best chicken/poultry info on the web.

My guess is mutt/Easter Egger.

Have fun!