How do I raise a single chick?

[The Angry Hen]

I had raised a baby chick in my room. She was left as a cold egg so I hatched her, she is now my best egg layer.

I started out by having a safe shoe box, with a trouble light hanging close by. the shoe box didn't have any water, and very little food.

A small towel lay at the bottom.

When the chick turned into a pullet, I had to move her to a paper box. (She wasn't a full grown pullet quite yet though).

Then she grew and I took the rocks out of her water. She finally was a hen. Then she was moved to a rabbit cage that was quite large and comfy.

She had a little stuffed animal as a buddy.

And me as a Mommy.

She is now outside in the barn and lives with a Guinea hen.



Hope this helps you! Good luck.

Sincerely,
-The Angry Hen

 

[BabyGirl2]

I raised Georgia (my roo) by his-self, he hatched in Sept 2015. He spent many hours with me or my mother. Plus my chicken run and chicken coop can be devided down the middle so when it was warm enough and he had some feathers I put him in one side next to the adults and Baby Girl (she is a whole month older than Georgia) and the boys(now gone) so they got to know each other. He does have a mean grumpy side but he is half game so I can't say being raised alone caused it.

 

[dekel18042]

While brooding a single chick isn't something I would do intentionally It can be done. I was hatching a clutch for someone and only one egg *The test egg I added) hatched so I wound up raising him. (Hint: Singletons love a new feather duster in their brooder.) I had a clutch three weeks older and at five weeks I tried to introduce him. Some of a different breed were aggressive and tried to kill him, but a few of his own breed were gentler so I pulled one out and put her with him so he had a friend. During the day I penned them near the flock coop.
Finally when the weather started getting colder I added the other older chicks to the main coop at night and decided to add him too as I thought it would be better than adding one later.
At first he was terrified but the aggressive ones three weeks older were too busy to pick on him and thankfully I had a rooster that tolerated no misbehaving in the flock so he acclimated and over time grey huge but had the sweetest temperament.
He was an excellent flock rooster for several years until he was killed by a fox but he kept the hens safe.
While it is better to get a friend, it you can't, raising one can be done.

 

[ScottKelly1974]

I've had to raise my first chick alone. I had two to begin with, but one died. I couldn't find another. I had to keep the chick warm for a few weeks. A few months later I was able to find a chick, but was a month younger. They got along well and are over a year old now.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

If at all possible, try and locate a source of day old chicks and buy a couple of them. Chickens are social animals and thrive with their own kind. Some people here do raise house chickens, so you can do a search on that, if you wish.

I agree! Unless you can dedicate every moment of your time and care to a chicken (I'm kidding, by the way) your chicken will not thrive without a companion, especially without its own kind. Even if they don't get along they will both take comfort in having members of the same species close.