late chick just hatched,,, HELP!!!

[dufus]

i had a black sex link hen take missing about a month ago. saturday, i found her in my yard, with 14 chicks, 7 black,,7 yellow. i live in the country, and apparently she had gotten under the landing of my deck, and nested. yesterday, i heard a loud peeping, under the deck. i removed a few deck boards with a cordless drill, and there was a chick,, just hatched,, and wet. my wife put it in her shirt against her chest, to let it dry, and keep warm. [ i'm in mississippi, and it's hot, the chick couldn't get too cold it seems ]i brought it in the house and put it in a cardboard box, wrapped in a baby blanket, with a heating pad on low, under the box. i got it out this morning, and tried to let it drink some water, from a full coffee cup, but i wasn't sure if it was drinking,, or choking,, or even to do that or not..... i desperately need some step-by-step instructions to save the little fella, as it was so much trouble getting it in the firsst place. it is black, with a white spot on his head, so i assume it is a little rooster. i really want to save him,, so please advise me as when/how to water, what/how to feed.

i'm gonna let mother nature take her course with the older chicks, as momma hen takes them back under the deck at night. eventually, i will get them all into the hen house, with the other hens. i have 16 sex link hens, and a rhode island red rooster. i let the other chickens out in the morning, and they do not bother the chicks. however,,,,, this chick cannot walk yet, seems weak, and my plan was to slip it into the peep flock, and hope it takes up with the others,, when it got a few days old,,,??????? if you can help me,, please post,,, and thanks in advance.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Put a light over it to help provide warmth. It seems hot to us, but a newly hatched chick needs a steady 95 or more degrees ,even at night . Get a chick waterer, a cup is quite tall for a chick to drink out of. Give it a dish of chick starter. Once he gets stronger you should be able to add him to the rest of her brood. Good luck.

 

[nsanywhere]

Chicks don't need to eat or drink for 24-48 hours after hatching so maybe that's why its not interested. Set up a very shallow bowl with water and mix in a little sugar for energy and to encourage it to drink. You may have to dip the beak in a few times a day at first until they get the hang of it.

If you don't have a chick feeder or waterer, small potting dishes or little bowls are ok, but be sure to put stones/marbles/something in the water so its very shallow. You don't want them to drown.

Get some chick starter for food. In a pinch, scramble an egg (don't add cheese, butter, etc. ;-) or crush some regular chicken food.

Even though its hot out, this little one can't regulate its own temp yet, and it could catch a chill. Keep the heat pad on, but make sure there is a place it go if too warm. Just a stack of towels would work. You can also clip a painter lamp to the top of the box for heat as long as its stable and won't fall in, catch fire, etc.

It will also be lonely - put a stuffed animal in there if you can. I have a puppet goose on hand and put a hand warmer up the puppet part for a mom-like snuggy.

Other than that, the little one will just grow, eat, and poop. After a few days you can put newspaper down and change it out as needed (don't do it now - too slippery for little legs). You can also put in a few grass clippings to keep it busy and healthy. Not sure if mama will take it back, and with so many little ones it might get lost in the mix, but worth a try after a week or so when you know its eating, drinking, and strong.

If you do try to put it back with the flock, do it at night when they are nesting. Sneak it under mama after dark, then keep a close eye on everyone the next day. If its left behind or being pecked, you know you have a house chick

Good luck!

 

[catsew]

I don't know anything really about new chicks, but for the first week we just put water on a shallow plate that has a bit of a lip to keep the water in, or an upside down tupperware lid. That way its too shallow for them to drown and they all seemed to take to it right away.

 

[willkatdawson]

I would say offer it water in a very shallow dish, like a jar lid. Feed it the same chick crumbles you've given the mother to feed her other chicks. Keep it warm throughout the day, then when the mother brings the babies in for the evening, I'd slip it under her with the family. It will do very well with the others. You might even be able to take it out into the yard later today once it's gotten its sea legs and let it go with the rest of the family. The mother will not leave it behind. It will chirp out loud if she getting too far away and she'll wait for it to keep up.

 

[Happy Chooks]

How old are the hens older chicks? This one may be too late to be accepted by her. If there's still eggs in the nest and she's still sitting at night (with the temp high during the day) you could have more hatching.

If you are going to brood this chick, you need a light for heat, not a heating pad. Depending on how hot you are there, a 75 watt bulb should be okay. (assuming indoors) Hang it over the box (but not near the edge of the box - you don't want a fire) Stick it off to one side, so the chick can escape the heat if it gets hot. Chicks need to be at least 85 degrees, they can't regulate body temperature.

As for feed - chick starter or Flockraiser can be fed to chicks. (or even turkey starter if you have it) Do not feed it layer feed, there's too much calcium in it for the chicks. If you don't have any of these, you can feed some cooked scrambled eggs until you can get some. Give water in a small, shallow dish - newly hatched chicks fall asleep anywhere and risk drowning in larger water containers. Dip it's beak then lift the chick up so it can swallow. You do this once to show it where water is. It will find food on it's own.

 

[Lil'ChickFarm]

awe I would love to see a picture of this little precious one. You have a saving heart. Lots of great advice here.

 

[dufus]

thanks for the replies. i live in rural MS, [ and was raised here ] and we always had chicks hatching out, and the momma and little flocks running everywhere. i'm in my late 60's now, but have not fooled with chickens for 50 years. last fall, i built a real nice hen house, layer boxes, and 20' fenced yard. i let them out in the mornings, and make sure all are in at night, and latch them in,,, secure. we never had heat lamps or anything in our chick coops when i was a kid, that i can remember. it does not appear that the 14 older chicks are getting too cold, as they seem fine to me. i reaqlly don't have any idea as to how old they are,, the first time i saw them, they were all marching around the yard with momma hen, saturday. knock me over with a feather!!!!!!!! obviously, she was coming out and eating, drinking, during the day,, while nesting,, and just blended in with the others running around. she would then slip un-noticed back under the deck, as there is 4 o'clock flowers all around it. i watched her/them yesterday, and they all went under the landing for the night around 6,, the big hens go in around 7, and i shut the door, then.

the only problem i have had this year is chicken snakes,,, i've had 5,,, but they won't be coming back. a stupid chicken snake would wipe those biddies out, so i hope i've kinda cleared the area. i did see a big king snake in the yard sunday, that i let go, i reckon he might eat the chicks too, if he comes back. real unusual to see king snakes though, hope he was passing through.

i guess i will try to give the chick some sugared water this afternoon, and maybe food tomorrow. i bought a chick feeder and chick waterer, and some chick starter crumbles at the co-op monday morning, so i will place a little of that food in the box, in a few days also. i am determined to save this chick, and, my wife and myself were squirrel rescuers for years, so we have a tad of animal experience.