Is it possible to raise one baby chick?

[billyboy123]

Hello guys, long time no see! So a few days ago my Rhode Island red hen was killed by a raccoon. We have a toatal of 3 chickens now. We really want a 4th one but our last chicken was so docile, you could walk right up to her and pick her up so my question is, is it possible to raise one baby chick? I think thats the only way to make sure we get a family friendly chicken and be happy with it please let me know thanks

 

[featheredplanets]

Sorry about your hen.
You could see if any one is selling/giving away a single hen near you. I wouldn’t advise raising a single chick, they need chicken company

 

[birdofhermes]

somebody hatched my rooster on his own so he has never even seen another chicken. pretty sure he thinks he's my biological son haha

 

[red horse ranch]

You can 'spoil' 2 chicks just as easily as one. And it would be a lot easier on you and the chicks. I have raised a single chick before and she is now over 10 years old. But when she was small she peeped all the time except for when she was being held. I ended up keeping her in the house a lot longer than she should have been but she needed to be at least half grown before I could add her to the flock. It's also easier to add two young chickens to your other hens than it would be to add a single one. They would at least have each other to share in the misery of integration.
Chickens are a flock bird and they aren't meant to be alone. If you don't have room to add two more young ones to your flock then it might be better to wait instead of trying to raise and keep a single chick.

 

[Higgshappychickens]

Hello guys, long time no see! So a few days ago my Rhode Island red hen was killed by a raccoon. We have a toatal of 3 chickens now. We really want a 4th one but our last chicken was so docile, you could walk right up to her and pick her up so my question is, is it possible to raise one baby chick? I think thats the only way to make sure we get a family friendly chicken and be happy with it please let me know thanks

I attempted to add two chicks (now grown) to my existing flock of eight. They have not been accepted by them. So I'm glad they have each other in a separate coop. I would recommend at least two.

 

[RodNTN]

I would not suggest raising a single chick, for a number of reasons. If you raise just one chick, she will be very lonely without you, and you'll have to be with her almost 24/7.
I've known people who have raised a single chick, and they said that it would scream and chirp constantly if someone wasn't with it.

It is very difficult to introduce a single hen to an already established flock, for all of their attention will be directed on her, and it'll be extremely hard for the poor girl.
Whereas, if you add at least two new chickens to your flock, they'll have each other and won't be left out while the rest of the girls are getting used to them.

And if it was just raised by humans, and surrounded by humans in its first month of life, it will be hard to be introduced to a flock full of adult chickens.

I would suggest adopting at least two chicks

 

[Tiana's chickens]

I raised one by itself. It was cute at the start but ended up being such a pain. Literally wouldn't be quite, it was cruel keeping it by itself and ended up not getting along with the other chickens until about 20 weeks old, it's still terrifyed of them today but sleeps in the shed with them. It's just sooo much easier getting 2 or more chicks. Incredibly difficult introducing a chick who is imprinted on humans to the rest of the flock, they just bully it

 

[featheredplanets]

The D’Anver in my icon was hatched singly by a broody, the broody then got taken by a fox when the chick was three weeks old. What a nightmare that chick was, she was friendly up until her last moments but would not leave me alone. She constantly wanted to sit on me and clean me or sleep in my pocket. I remember in the first few weeks when she realised I was her only “friend”, she’d cheep and cheep and cheep, the more you ignore them, the louder it gets. I had to take her everywhere with me, in my pocket or in a carrier in my backpack or on my shoulder. I hatched her three Welsummer when she was nine weeks old, she hated them and perched as far away as possible from them and still chirped like a small chick. At fifteen weeks old (when I dispatched my whole flock) she still chirped and cuddled me as she couldn’t understand the difference between me and chicken, if that makes sense? So whilst it is cute and does make them friendly, they’re dysfunctional as a chicken, it is unnecessary to raise a single chick when there’s other options there.
I completely recommend either getting two to three pullets or buying 1 or 2 laying hens 2nd hand. If your girls go broody, you could always allow them to hatch eggs to add to your flock.

 

[FatBurrito]

I raised one chick alone. It's possible but it's a lot of work as it needs a lot of your attention. She would peep a lot when we weren't with her. She was the only chick that hatched after incubation out of about 12?

 

[FatBurrito]

I raised one by itself. It was cute at the start but ended up being such a pain. Literally wouldn't be quite, it was cruel keeping it by itself and ended up not getting along with the other chickens until about 20 weeks old, it's still terrifyed of them today but sleeps in the shed with them. It's just sooo much easier getting 2 or more chicks. Incredibly difficult introducing a chick who is imprinted on humans to the rest of the flock, they just bully it

Exactly what happened to my chick. Much better to get two chicks