Identification- they say it's a Japanese breed- does that help?

[@FendiChick]

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She is 6 weeks old and is eating medicated right now. Will switch to growing feed in a week or two. I don't know what her diet was before she wandered into my yard. She is very friendly and just so extremely cute. When they say she is a Japanese breed does that mean a Bantam? Will she be too lonely by herself? I play with her and give her time out of her (large) cage daily. Am going to build a coop as soon as I figure out how to do that or find someone to build one. I live in Miami. Does anyone know what type of chicken she is? I am in love with her!

 

[chics in the sun]

Find her some friends. They get lonely and sad. I had a lone chick for a week or so and couldn't stand the sad, incesent chirp as it stared at itself in the mirror. Her arrival is God's way of telling you to GET MORE CHICKENS!!

No idea on the breed - kinda early to tell.

 

[bantam0907]

If she is a Japanese Bantam then i believe her adult coloring will be white. Chickens are social animals especially if they are raised with other animals around. If you have enough time to spend with her i think she might be fine but if you work long hours you should consider getting her a companion! I live in a neighborhood and i have silkies so i can give you plans for a coop if you would like. I would need to know your space constraints and if you are looking for a coop that will be free standing or one that will be attatched to a building or something. Whatever the coop style it must be raised up off the ground because Rats and other animals will find away to get in and they will gladly take your chick. Just let me know if you want some plans i can make you some different designs I would build it for you also but I live in Indiana... soo i dont suppose that will work very well! Also if your willingly to pay for it you can sometimes find custom made coops on craigslist but you will pay for them! And if you use a wood chip bedding DO NOT use ceder! only pine because the fumes from the ceder will kill your chick. I would also suggest building with pine and i wouldnt use treated wood. Hope this helps!

 

[StevenW.]

awwww how cute of a chick if it is a japanese its a bantam and it could be a white or black tailed white... u never know they start getting the black feathers till later on

 

[@FendiChick]

Thank you for the responses! I have three dogs all of which get along well with the chick when we let them interact. I would rather not get more yet before I really know what I am doing- plus she seems to be very content and gets lots of attention.

I have a large cage for her now (30x36x16) which has hay on the bottom and it's all up off of the ground.
@Bantam- I have some room to build a small coop- and was going to put it on the side of a small shed in the backyard. There is already a wooden frame built on the side of the shed with a shelf which is now holding the chick's cage. I thought it would be a good space to use for the coop and use some of the existing wood. I don't think I could follow plans for a coop but I do have a handyman who said it would be easy (for when she gets a little bigger) to put chicken wire around the area which is about 5 feet by 4 feet but which wouldn't be completely covered (only a portion would be covered).

So as you can see I am a bit lost but trying to figure things out. Is hay acceptable to use as a floor covering? Does she need a bed of some kind? When is it okay to start feeding her treats besides the medicated food?

In any event, this is where she lives for now except at night if it's going to be less than 65 degrees, I bring her inside in a large box with hay and water inside it.

Thank you again.

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[DTchickens]

Not going to guess at pics yet, give it a couple more months and you should be able to tell better.

-Daniel

 

[phaethona]

not sure on the breed, I have a japanese bird but the coloring is not at all the same.

so, she just wandered to you? good for you for taking her in, looks like she's in good hands!

 

[lothefarmer]

i have a japanese bantam as well, but i did not raise her from a chick.. i don't know--sorry!

anyway, she does not need a bed. as a baby, she will sleep wherever she crashes, but as she grows, she will need a perch to sleep on. i used wood chips with my babies, but i don't see why hay would be a problem.

if she is a bantam, and you want her to be totally safe, you need 6 foot tall chicken wire, and i suggest for the run to be completely covered. bantams can really get up off the ground effortlessly. my bantam rooster clears our 6 foot tall fence with a few feet of clearance, so we're trying to cover their run right now. as for treats, i fed my babies grass, yogurt, and little bits of fruit since they were about two weeks old. in my experience, they won't eat anything that they can't. the babies tend to be picky like that.

by the way, if you can handle one, you could handle a few more. i got my first nine without any prior experience or knowledge. sounds risky, but chickens are fairly low maintenance, and you learn the most from personal experience. get at least one or two more friends for the baby quickly. its easier to integrate while they're still young.

 

[@FendiChick]

Thank you- I will not look into the 4 foot high in that case- too short. I am thinking of other options and have someone coming over tonight to take a look at the space and give me some ideas.
I will also look in to a perch. Thanks all for your suggestions. She is still happy and thriving

 

[froggiesheins]

More suggestions; a mirror in the cage / a feather duster hung vertically / stuffed chicken . These were things I did for my single chick that I had. I did get her a buddy after she was about a month old. Have fun!