How can I help my young chick who has separation anxiety?

[dirt_drive]

Hi,
so two days ago, I got my very own baby chicken.
We love each other and he immediately bonded with me at first sight, but I have a terrible problem!
My poor baby has separation anxiety and WILL NOT let me go ANYWHERE without him! If I'm not in his sight, he will scream his heart out and I feel so bad!
He is so young and fragile and in need of a motherly figure, but I just don't know how to do about his anxiety..
I was suggested to just let him cry it out, but I'm just not sure.
I do have experience with birds, but I really need advice, and I don't want to harm his mental heath.
Please help me, any advice is appreciated, thank you so much.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

Is there a reason you're keeping a single chicken? They do best when not alone. Is he a young chick? Older? Used to having a flock or siblings? If young, do you have a proper brooder setup with proper heat? Adding a mirror occasionally helps.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I suggest getting at least 2 additional chicks. They are flock animals and actually NEED others of their kind.

 

[dirt_drive]

I have a heat lamp, and I got him from a store where they just crammed the babies together so I'm not sure if he had any siblings. I am keeping a single chicken because I don't have too much room for any others, and I was concerned because he was the runt of the rest, I didn't want him being picked on. And he is still very young, his wings aren't fully fleshed out yet.

 

[bobbi-j]

He needs a chicken friend.

 

[dirt_drive]

alright. i've been considering it, whatever is best for him, thanks

 

[LateBirdFarms]

It was very kind hearted of you to purchase him out of concern for his well being, but it would be in his best interest to keep him in the company of other chickens. While there have been cases of people keeping single chickens, most often it's a case of them being soul survivors of a flock. That's not saying you can't keep him on his own, but just like any other social creature, he will require your attention and he is likely to show some anxiety when alone. I don't know your situation or where you live or any number of other important factors about you so I don't want to jump to any conclusions but I will mention a few key points just in case chick fever has clouded your judgement. (Symptoms include bringing home adorably downy itty bitty baby chicks without the means or property necessary to keep them once they're not fuzzy and downy and cute anymore ) Before you purchase him a friend, you said your space is limited, don't set yourself up for disaster if you're not able to properly house him and a flock mate. As much as you're in love with the little fluff ball, you may want to keep the idea of finding him a home where he won't be confined to a space to small to house him. And you called him and him, are you sure he's male? I won't pester you with too many questions but do you know what breed he is?

 

[WallyBirdie]

Hi,
so two days ago, I got my very own baby chicken.
We love each other and he immediately bonded with me at first sight, but I have a terrible problem!
My poor baby has separation anxiety and WILL NOT let me go ANYWHERE without him! If I'm not in his sight, he will scream his heart out and I feel so bad!
He is so young and fragile and in need of a motherly figure, but I just don't know how to do about his anxiety..
I was suggested to just let him cry it out, but I'm just not sure.
I do have experience with birds, but I really need advice, and I don't want to harm his mental heath.
Please help me, any advice is appreciated, thank you so much.

How old is the baby?
It screams because that is the cry for a momma- and in this case that is you.
There are things you can do to make the little one more comfortable.

The simplest and most heard answer you will get, is to add more chickens. This is logical, but it is not necessarily the only way.
The thing is, that baby will grow up, and when it does, will it be out all by itself? That is concern because they are very social animals, and if they get cold, they huddle.

However, for short term, or if you find a way to work around it, one chicken CAN be doable. Hopefully someone on here gives you helpful advice.

And good luck with your little one.

 

[dirt_drive]

@WallyBirdie thank you so much for your advice, and im not completely sure how old he is, it looks like only a week or two, and I think I will get him a friend or friends down the road @LateBirdFarms thank you for your consideration and advice, I do plan to keep him long term, as of right now, yes space is limited, but I am thinking about making him a bigger pen in my backyard since it is a good size, and let him have plenty of freedom and foraging, (but if that doesn’t work out, I will still consider sending him to a new home),
and once I have that figured out I will probably get 3-2 more flock mates. he is pretty tiny right now so isn’t affecting him much but I will surely prepare for when he gets older. And I’m not sure if he is a male or not, I just tend to use that word generally, and I believe he is an Assorted Banded Pullet (not completely sure)

 

[LateBirdFarms]

If "he" came from the assorted bantam pullet bin, then there's a good chance your little boy is a she But feed stores are notoriously bad for mislabeling and mixing up their chicks, so it's never a sure thing. I just wanted to be sure your chick wasn't of the meat bird variety or you'd have possibly been in for some hard work and some early heartache. I'm glad you're able to offer your new baby the space needed, it's so easy to fall head over heels for the sweet little darlings, but they grow up so fast! While you decide what to do about a friend for your little one, if you can find a mirror and a small stuffed animal for the brooder bin (carefully clear of the heat source of course) you might ease a bit of the chicks loneliness. Enjoy your new little one and be sure to ask the forum for any help or concerns you might have... or just post some baby pics, we all love chick pics!