Introducing lone chick to older birds?

[NoVA Chicks]

I have three birds (as of yesterday) a 14 month old hen, 3 month pullet, and 3 month maybe pullet (appropriately named Pat). I also have one lone egg still hanging on from my last hatch. who's due to go into lockdown tomorrow. If the little lone chick should make it, do I introduce him to the trio or keep him separated for a while? It was really cold last night so I kept the new birds in the house last night but they have a coop waiting for them. It occurs to me, though, that if I want to keep the chick with them that maybe I should just keep everyone in the house over the winter? Right now they're in a large rabbit cage in the dining room, but I could move them to the basement if they were staying.

Actually, it occurs to me that I could put them in my little "green house"--which is a class enclosure around what used to be the stairwell to the basement. Hmm, I wonder if that would work . . .

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I never introduce chicks to adult chickens til they are around the same size and can defend themselves if needed. That's usually around 3 or 4 months old. Adult chickens can starve out younger chicks and kill them. Your chick will need to be on a Starter/Grower feed and not a layer feed til it would be at POL. You also are going to need a heat lamp/ brooder box for one lone chick if it hatches.

 

[NoVA Chicks]

So maybe I'd be better off going with the original plan of moving the trio into the coop and getting a nice feather duster to keep the lone chick company?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

That's how I would do it. You risk the older birds killing the chick and it needs it's own heat source plus food and water.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

If it does hatch, I would find 1 or 2 chicks from someone else to raise it with. That way it won't be one lonely chick growing alone and it would have buddies when its time to introduce to the bigger birds. A feather duster just doesn't provide companionship.

Good luck with the little one.

 

[NoVA Chicks]

There will be more chicks (hopefully) two weeks behind it, so it won't be alone for long.

I put the trio into the coop this morning and they seem to be doing fine. Now I need to give the indoor cage a good cleaning and set it back up as a brooder.

 

[NoVA Chicks]

Well, the lone chick didn't make it. Looks like it died several days ago--probably as soon as I moved it to the Chick-bator. I guess I should have left it in with the others.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I'm so sorry you lost the little guy.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I'm so sorry you lost the poor little thing.

What do you mean 'It looks like it died several days ago'? Sounds like it had been several days since you checked on it.

Great day - Nancy

 

[NoVA Chicks]

He should have hatched by now so I decided to candle him this morning (yes, I know I shouldn't--but I was pretty sure it was hopeless). No movement at all. I went ahead and opened the egg and he was dead and hadn't absorbed his yolk at all.