I am no animal psychologist but one would think any animal prefers the company of others as opposed to none. =\\
Overnight should be okay. i've heard of folks putting a small stuffed animal in with a single chick. They mainly sleep at night, so it shouldn't be too traumatic.
I have a lone coturnix quail that is about 5 weeks old. We have kept her in the house in a plastic storage bin brooder. She also has a bird mirror and three stuffed animals. The kids play with her all the time, so she looks forward to that. That and the June bugs they have been bringing in for her to chase around! Now I have so far one lone silkie chick also. I am really dissapointed in that hatch. I am fearing that it will be the only one also since most of the eggs were duds. I guess she will have to be raised in the brooder the quail is in since it is about to get an outside cage. Maybe she will just be more of a pet than our other chickens.
Right now I have a lone little girl and she just seems so lonely...healthy but lonely. I do have her next to some others chickens so she can hear them. She is just way to little to add to any of the others yet. Her pen mate died a week ago I would recommend having company for them...it's just to sad for them.
