I need advice for an 'only child' chick

[clairabean]

One egg hatched this morning. Nothing from the other three eggs. (Started with 14 eggs, ended up with 4 in lockdown) Poor little guy is lonely. She is still in the bator, chirping away at the other eggs. I have little hope they will hatch, though.


No feed stores sell chicks in my area. (We are pretty rural.) I would have to order 20+ chicks and it would take a month to get here. Too late. No way to get more chicks immediately.

So, what is my luck with raising a single chick until she is old enough to join my flock? It just breaks my heart to see her so lonely.

I will have to move her to the brooder tomorrow, so I need some confidence this will work.

 

[catchthewind]

I'm new, so no personal experience, but could you put stuffed animal or a hot water bottle in with her? Maybe a mirror so it seems like there is another chick. Could you post on Craig's List or equivalent and see if anyone is selling any baby chicks locally? (I found a bunch that way from people who don't actually advertise for sale.)

 

[Garden Gal]

I'd definitely put a soft something in there he can cuddle up against, and I would be looking for another one, two, three, etc... day old chick to adopt! Best of luck! But do give him/her something to cuddle against.

 

[cochinGurl]

ya, a mirror may help, people do that when raising single pigeons and doves.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
Everything he/she said.

(Just not the water bottle)

 

[Jake1297]

I ran into the same thing you did, One egg out of I think it was 10. Anyway below is a picture of him at 17 days old. He is now 5 weeks old. I kept him in the house here in his brooder until he was 4 weeks old. With his own stuffed toy. I tried Craigslist and everything else to find a buddy his age. He was always being held by us, and the dogs loved him. I put him in the coop last week with the flock in the coop brooder separated from the rest. It wasn't two days before I let him out with the others while I was there supervising. After several days he now goes out with them unsupervised (see pic he's the little black one) but still sleeps separated for another couple weeks.
All and all your chick will be fine.