Lost a chick today :(. How to replace?

[hensandchickscolorado]

I can't believe that on the day my chicken coop is finally finished, my 4-week old Barred Rock died

.

Funny, I dug trenches for hardware cloth all day to keep out all kinds of predators, and my stinkin' weiner dog attacked her in the brooder. My 4 year old daughter & a friend were checking out the chickens and didn't shut the TWO doors I had between the dog and the chicks.

It was so sad...I grabbed her quickly but she was shaking; I brought her upstairs in a separate box, and then she just stopped breathing. I think he must have punctured something internally.

I want to replace her, and I promised the four year old that we would. How do I do this? The chicks will move outside in about 2 weeks. Do I wait until then and find a 6-week old barred rock somewhere and just add her in when I put these guys out there? Do I give them a few weeks in the coop and then sneak one in at night? Or do I do it now while they are still small?

They don't seem to have an established pecking order yet and the remaining chicks are pretty friendly.

I am still consoling the daughter and also have a poor little chicken in a shoe box in my kitchen. So sad!

 

[JulB]

Sorry you lost the chick.

I recently had to add more chicks to our small group. (we wanted three pullets. Lost one the first night and then found out another was a rooster). Knowing eventually the rooster would have to find a new home we bought two more chicks the same age.

You'll want to keep the new addition apart for awhile to make sure it doesn't spread sickness or mites. We then had them in a brooder setup, seperated by wire for a week or two. Yesterday we took done the divider and so far so good, everyone is happy.

If you are going to add one the younger they all are the better I think.

Good luck!

 

[Nicole01]

You should go out and replace it with at least two because your going to have them separated and chicks do not do well alone and they will need each other when you integrate them. Integrating can go well or be a nightmare. You can't just stick newcomers anymore with the existing flock. They will peck at them, often death occurs if there is a big size difference. I'm very sorry about your loss.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I've put day old chicks in with 4 week old chicks before without any problems. The little ones would just run under the bigger ones. It's really up to what you are comfortable with. If you wait til the others are in the coop, I suggest you get 2 chicks - raising a lonely chick is no fun. (for you or the chick)

Sorry you lost your chick to begin with.

 

[Nicole01]

Quote:
You are lucky.

. I have 5 chicks all different ages, and I didn't have problems integrating until the older ones were 4 weeks. The OP chick looks like it's 6-8 weeks old, and for me that was a huge problem. I would of lost a chick if I didn't separate. Now my integration with the chicks is a nightmare, but I have 3 against 5. Other people have no problems. I guess they will eventually work it out.

Duh, the OP chick is 4 weeks, I was thinking of someone else. Sorry.

 

[lutz123]

I don't have any experience with the situation, but based on any animal really, introducing them in a neutral environment at treat time (or during some sort of work like herding them around) would likely be a best bet. If I were in that predicament I would likely find two that are approximately the same age, preferably already bonded, and introduce them all at the same time to the new coop - even if it means putting up with two separate brooders a couple of more weeks.

I'd be willing to bet now that chick days are almost over at all of the feed stores, there are plenty of new owners who want to place a couple of pullets in new homes. I just rehomed 9 and they had never been out of the growout brooder or exposed to other chickens beyond day one or two. I'm sure there are more out there like me that you wouldn't have quite the mite/disease worry...right?

I mixed my two brooders with 4 & 6 week olds when they went in their growout brooder and it was fine. My BO was a little freaked because most happened to be guineas - she was a little assertive initially. The BR just chilled. My EE never integrated herself with the chickens - she hangs with her guinea buddies. No one picks. I don't have roos. I actually introduced them initially when I had the others too...on my kitchen floor!! I sprinkled clover leaves and crumbles around. They did fine because they were mutually terrified. Good bonding!