Lone chicken - looking for solutions

[IOT]

You could house your one chick next to the baby chicks. Maybe divide them with a piece of hardware cloth, so they can see and hear each other, and start becoming acquainted.

Depending on how many little chicks, you can probably remove the divider pretty soon. (Maybe a week from now.) Yes, the one is quite a bit older--but it would also be the only one of that size. So it doesn't have any buddies to gang up on the little ones.

Make sure the space is big enough that one end is warm enough for the babies, and the other end is cool enough for the big one. (In practice, they will all move around to all the temperature zones--they just need to have the right options.)

If you decide to return the foster chick and get the younger one instead--I would just do the switch one day.

But personally, I would try to combine the one chick with the babies. In just a few weeks, the age difference will not seem so big, because of how fast chicks grow.

I have four babies and they are in a brooder (31 in. x 53 in. x 25 in.) inside the house. This was the older ones' brooder but when the babies arrived (yesterday) I moved the older ones a slightly smaller one (since I've started taking them out to the coop during the day, so they're only there to sleep).

Does that size above sound be enough to have a divider? My 4-week old chick does not use the heat source any more, but I think this is because it cuddles together with the older one. If alone, would I need another heat source?

 

[black_cat]

I'm a bit confused here. Why are you able to keep a different chick but not the one that you and your chick have bonded with?

 

[NatJ]

I have four babies and they are in a brooder (31 in. x 53 in. x 25 in.) inside the house....
Does that size above sound be enough to have a divider?

Probably yes.
I would try sectioning off about 9 to 12 inches across the end farthest from the heat lamp. That's probably big enough for one chick, even at 4 weeks old, if it's only going to need the space for a week or two.

My 4-week old chick does not use the heat source any more, but I think this is because it cuddles together with the older one. If alone, would I need another heat source?

No, I do not think so. Inside the house, at 4 weeks old, it should be warm enough.

And before you divide the brooder, try just sitting your big chick in with the babies, and watch what happens. Sometimes that's all the integration needed. If it doesn't go well, then you can divide the brooder and let them live next to each other for a week or so before trying it again. But it's often worth trying the easiest thing first, with supervision, before doing something more complicated

 

[IOT]

I'm a bit confused here. Why are you able to keep a different chick but not the one that you and your chick have bonded with?

The person who let me fostered it said from the beginning it was part of her personal flock and she would want it back. I did not think at the time about the possible problems separating them and was just desperate to get some company for my chick, as it was miserable since the other four chicks in the shipment did not make it. This person says she want to keep this chick because she has another female that is the same age, and she wants to keep them together in her flock. But she has a couple other females of the same breed available if I want them. She breeds chickens, so perhaps she knows this one is better quality for some reason? I'm inclined to beg, but at the moment have little hope it'll work, lol

 

[NatJ]

They both start freaking out and calling out the minute the other one is out of view.

Chicks freak out easily at that age. But they also get over things pretty quickly.

If you return the foster chick, your chick will settle down a lot within a few hours, and even more within the next day or two. By the time a month has gone by, your big chick and little chicks can be living together as if they had never done anything else.

If you are able to keep the foster chick for another week, I suggest you do that--and at the end of the week, put your big chick in with the baby ones (either just pop it in, or divide the brooder if that seems needed at the time.) Yes, your chick will be upset, but it should get over that pretty quickly.

 

[IOT]

Chicks freak out easily at that age. But they also get over things pretty quickly.

If you return the foster chick, your chick will settle down a lot within a few hours, and even more within the next day or two. By the time a month has gone by, your big chick and little chicks can be living together as if they had never done anything else.

If you are able to keep the foster chick for another week, I suggest you do that--and at the end of the week, put your big chick in with the baby ones (either just pop it in, or divide the brooder if that seems needed at the time.) Yes, your chick will be upset, but it should get over that pretty quickly.

Thank you, this is reassuring to read!

I am able to keep it for another week. What's the minimum you'd recommend I wait to introduce my 4-week old to the babies? Would it be a good idea to try them out this week, while I still have the foster chicken (maybe I can take the foster chicken to the coop while I do this, as it'll probably be calling to my chick). The babies have been at home for two full days, today is day three, just for reference.

 

[NatJ]

What's the minimum you'd recommend I wait to introduce my 4-week old to the babies? Would it be a good idea to try them out this week, while I still have the foster chicken (maybe I can take the foster chicken to the coop while I do this, as it'll probably be calling to my chick).

You could try that, or you could just wait until the foster chick goes back and do it all at once. I think either one could work fine.

 

[IOT]

You could try that, or you could just wait until the foster chick goes back and do it all at once. I think either one could work fine.

Thanks! my thinking is that with the foster chick still here, I can introduce my older chick to the babies more gradually. I'm thinking I'll just try a bit each day with supervision and continue to have the older and foster sleep together in their brooder. If things seem to be going well with the introduction, at what point do you think I could trust to leave them together without supervision?

I did try a brief introduction yesterday and the older chick was just concerned with flying out of the brooder, so I'm guessing I'm going to have to put the cover next time I try.

 

[NatJ]

If things seem to be going well with the introduction, at what point do you think I could trust to leave them together without supervision?

When you get tired of watching, because nothing seems to be happening

I would probably stare constantly for a few minutes at first, then putter around doing things nearby while listening constantly and looking occasionally, then wander off to do things and keep coming back to check... Basically, decreasing levels of supervision as they continue to seem OK.

I can't tell you how fast I would move through those stages, because it would depend on how well they seemed to be doing.

And I'd probably be looking at them 2-4 times per day, or more, as long as they were in the brooder, but that's just because chicks are cute, and because they dirty their water or spill it, and so forth.

 

[IOT]

When you get tired of watching, because nothing seems to be happening

I would probably stare constantly for a few minutes at first, then putter around doing things nearby while listening constantly and looking occasionally, then wander off to do things and keep coming back to check... Basically, decreasing levels of supervision as they continue to seem OK.

I can't tell you how fast I would move through those stages, because it would depend on how well they seemed to be doing.

And I'd probably be looking at them 2-4 times per day, or more, as long as they were in the brooder, but that's just because chicks are cute, and because they dirty their water or spill it, and so forth.

Oh yes, I look at them several times a day, they're just too cute! and messy for sure...

So, I went ahead and put my older chicken in with the babies today and watched. First, it pretty much ignored the babies and focused on trying to escape the brooder. Unfortunately when it finally started paying attention to the babies it started pecking at their feet, so I intervened three times and then took it out of there. Is this a bad sign? I get the sense that this chick is not particularly mellow and it might be a bit on the aggressive side (but this is my first set of chickens so I don't know a lot about chicken behavior). When I first put the foster chick with it, my chick was only a few days old and less than half the size of the foster chick. I was worried about the foster chick being aggressive but it was actually my chick pecking at the other one (it mainly pecked at its feathers, which have spots on them, and occasionally elsewhere). Any thoughts?