My Experience Raising a Single Chick...so far

[quone]

It all started when only one out of six Silkie eggs hatched and survived. My area is under quarantine, so finding another chick has been impossible. I rigged up a box with a wool hen and a heating pad. It had to be easy to transport because I hatched it for my preschool, but I now had to take it home at night. Day 2 revealed that it had spraddle legs, so I taped them up. It was adorable watching it zoom around with tiny steps! By day 3 it was sleeping through the night! 2 more days and its legs were fine. It was definitely imprinted on me, and loved climbing onto my hand. It helped a lot that most of the day was spent in the classroom where there were always children watching it. At home I had to bring its box with me from room to room so it wouldn't feel alone. Side note--the wool hen was not used during the day. It refused to go in it except at night, and even then under protest.
Fast forward to 3 weeks old, and the heating pad was not needed anymore. I put together a longer indoor run and put in a dirt patch for foraging practice and grit. On a sunny day, I took it outside in the grass and it had fun pecking around, and even ate an ant! I also showed it to my 3 month old Silkie chicks that it will eventually be integrated with. None of them were interested.
Now at 4 weeks, it weighs 2.3 ounces--up from the 2 day old weight of .9 ounces. It was contentedly scratching around all day without constant attention, and it now stays in the wool hen when I push it in, instead of coming out several times like a toddler. It also started running away from my hands and protests being picked up, unless it's cold or tired. I figure these signs of independence are good signs! Yesterday I showed it to the older chicks again and it touched beaks with one of them! Then they didn't care anymore.

I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible. Right now I'm thrilled that little Nutmeg is doing so well. I hope it turns out to be a she because I can't keep roosters.

 

[azygous]

Nutmeg sounds adorable. And so is your tale of "her" life so far. How about some pics of this irresistible fluff ball?

 

[quone]

 

[quone]

Update: 5 weeks old
Nutmeg has gone from loving to be held and running to my hand to running away and screaming when I pick her up. I guess kind of like middle schoolers. She cries when I'm not in sight, but doesn't want to be handled anymore!

She's growing fast now. It's only a matter of time before she will be able to clear the top of her box.

 

[quone]

From the outside looking in...

She still lets my husband give her belly rubs!

 

[quone]

Today Nutmeg had a meet & greet with my other girls. I wanted to see if she would be interested in the others or if she’s too focused on humans. The older ones totally ignored her chirps and trills, but when they started coming closer she went right up to them! They were tolerant until Nutmeg pecked at one. She got a gentle “don’t bother me, kid” peck back. That happened a couple more times before I called it off due to rain.
It’s very encouraging that she wants to be with them! Hopefully they won’t be too hard on her once she’s in “their” coop. Obviously I’ll wait until she’s bigger.

 

[Johannanoel]

I am also raising a single chick separate from my flock. It is going thru some of the same stages you have mentioned, which is reassuring. I came here looking for info because at night mine cries a lot. I finally started turning the heat lamp off at night so it would settle down and sleep. If not it becomes very unsettled and cheeps distress. It was born March 27 so is 17 days old today. It is starting to get wing feathers and I live in a tropical climate so think it is warm enough. I turn the light back on first thing in the morning. How do you use the heating pad? I have one I could put in its kennel (In the garage) but how do you keep it clean? My chick has a small outdoor run on grass which it spends several hours every day. I gather bugs from our compost bin which it loves and feed chick starter. I am worried about how to socialize it so am watching your experience. I have a flock of 8 chicks who are now eight weeks old and living outside in their coop. They free range during the day. I hope you keep posting! I am following your experience.

 

[azygous]

I am also raising a single chick separate from my flock. It is going thru some of the same stages you have mentioned, which is reassuring. I came here looking for info because at night mine cries a lot. I finally started turning the heat lamp off at night so it would settle down and sleep. If not it becomes very unsettled and cheeps distress. It was born March 27 so is 17 days old today. It is starting to get wing feathers and I live in a tropical climate so think it is warm enough. I turn the light back on first thing in the morning. How do you use the heating pad? I have one I could put in its kennel (In the garage) but how do you keep it clean? My chick has a small outdoor run on grass which it spends several hours every day. I gather bugs from our compost bin which it loves and feed chick starter. I am worried about how to socialize it so am watching your experience. I have a flock of 8 chicks who are now eight weeks old and living outside in their coop. They free range during the day. I hope you keep posting! I am following your experience.

Your chick has a flock if you will start integrating it. You can do that any time by introducing it during the day in a safe pen. It will be able to observe the adult chickens and learn their individual personalities. After a week or so of these day trips to Chicken World, open a couple little chick size openings in its safe pen. It can then mingle with the others and run back to the safe enclosure if the adults get too overbearing. See this for a pic of the chick pen portal I'm talking about. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

 

[Johannanoel]

Your chick has a flock if you will start integrating it. You can do that any time by introducing it during the day in a safe pen. It will be able to observe the adult chickens and learn their individual personalities. After a week or so of these day trips to Chicken World, open a couple little chick size openings in its safe pen. It can then mingle with the others and run back to the safe enclosure if the adults get too overbearing. See this for a pic of the chick pen portal I'm talking about. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...and-start-raising-your-chicks-outdoors.71995/

Thank you for this info! Invaluable. Two questions. What do you have on the floor of your pens, sand? And how do you rig the heating pad system. Above the chicks or under? I started to read the comments attached to your article hoping for more insight But there were just too many to read them all! Hope this isn’t repetitive. My chick is currently in a dog kennel, table height and when it has more feathers I will move the entire kennel down to the big coop and install some safety measures.

 

[azygous]

The heating pad is to simulate a broody hen so you make a wire frame for it and fashion a sort of "cave" so a chick can scoot under it. It should be adjusted so a chick can touch the heating pad and make direct contact with it with its back. Care needs to be taken so a chick can't get stuck between the frame and the pad, so close off any gaps.

I attach the pad to a wire fence frame bent in a "U" shape and the pad is attached to the underside with small bungies. Glad stick and Seal food wrap makes it easy to wipe the poop off.