my safed leghorn and some questions!

[pindapanda]

Hello!

I saved some eggs from school wich were 'leftovers' from an experiment. because school can't keep them, they needed to kill them. so i took 2 home. 1 chick died right after hatching, but the other one is alive and well!

now i could really use your help! this obviously isn't the most suitable season for raising a baby chick (in holland it's a cold fall) and i noticed she(i did the feather test) is growing very fast!! i have a big house to keep her inside till spring, but i believe this isn't the most perfect solution. is there a way to put her outside if she is ready? and, when will she be ready to go outside?

She is only 4 days old and so happy! she is investigating her cage like crazy and constantly wants to hug and find things out. she also eats, drinks, sleeps en poops like she should. so it looks like she is happy! i only wish she had a friendchick, but she have to do it with me till i can get her one

the reason i come here instead of to a dutch forum, is because there they told me to not even bother to safe some eggs and that i should just let them die. this scarred me a little so thought that that you guys might be nicer

any tips and tricks?

 

[Judy]

Some Ideas: Put a feaher duster in with her for a companion, if you can find one. A small stuffed animal is good, too, as is one of those mirrors made for bird cages. Give her something to provide a little variety, just little objects to jump on or practice roosting on, or even look at, and move them around every day. She can live outdoors at winter temps at 6 to 8 weeks of age, with a simple shed or shelter to keep rain and snow off. Any predators will be delighted to have a chicken dinner, though. You can learn a lot about predator protection in our Predators and Pests forum.

She is probably imprinted on you at this point. Even though chickens are best kept in flocks, which is natural for them, there will be a bit of a battle when you do find another chick or two for her. It's hard to say how serious it will be.

Even young chicks, around 2 weeks or even less, benefit from some time outdoors on grass where they can hunt and peck for bits of food. You would need some sort of fence to do this. At this age, something like a child's playpen turned upside down is fine. Include a little open ended box where she can go for shelter, so you will know when she is getting too cold.

 

[boskelli1571]

Hello & welcome!
So glad you saved the chick - she deserves a chance at life. It seems like she is very comfortable in your house, so I would move her out slowly. Do you have an enclosed yard where she can be safe? A small chicken tractor would be ideal for her, but since she has bonded so well with you, she may get lonely. I would suggest putting her outside for a few hours in a tractor and perhaps bringing her in at night. Gradually extend the time outside until you think she'll be ok overnight.
She should not be outside until she has her full feathers otherwise she may get cold, chickens can tolerate cold pretty well. It gets down to -12C here. We have many members in Canada where it gets even colder! A friend for her would be ideal. Good luck to you, keep us posted on her progress, Sue

 

[KentuckyMom]

Yes, please keep us updated on her progress! And explore this website more! Just about anything you can think of is on here-- chicken information or otherwise! The people are from everywhere and you will find a variety of opinions and ideas!

 

[pindapanda]

thanks for the ideas!! i already had a stuffed animal for her, some bricks and boxes for height. i'm gonna search for a good twig where she can sit on. i just hung a mirror in her cage and i put some riped coloured paper with her!
when the weather improves i will try to introduce her to my garden
Thank you!

 

[pindapanda]

Hello & welcome!
So glad you saved the chick - she deserves a chance at life. It seems like she is very comfortable in your house, so I would move her out slowly. Do you have an enclosed yard where she can be safe? A small chicken tractor would be ideal for her, but since she has bonded so well with you, she may get lonely. I would suggest putting her outside for a few hours in a tractor and perhaps bringing her in at night. Gradually extend the time outside until you think she'll be ok overnight.
She should not be outside until she has her full feathers otherwise she may get cold, chickens can tolerate cold pretty well. It gets down to -12C here. We have many members in Canada where it gets even colder! A friend for her would be ideal. Good luck to you, keep us posted on her progress, Sue

thanks for your help! i do have a enclosed yard, but sometimes cats come and visit... i understand that they will catch small (baby) chickens, but will hurt a full grown chicken to?
in the netherlands it also gets down to -15C in combination wtih lots of snow and wind!

 

[realsis]

I wish you the best and hopefully you can find her a friend soon. Look on online some breeders have chicks for sale now and will even ship them to you! They usually run from 5 to 15.00 $ per chick depending on the breed and quality. You can likely find her a nice friend for about 5 dollars. Just search online and see what you can find. Also you can buy fertile eggs online if you want to hatch her a friend. You don't have to wait till spring to find a friend. belive it or not many chicks are avaiable now for sale. Just takes a search online and I'm certain you can find her a friend soon. Chickens are flock animals as you know and a friend will make her really happy. I'm going through the same as I lost all my flock but one bird to a awful illness so I looked for some friends formy bird so she won't be all alone. I Have Three new babies coming and I'm very excited. So do look online and I'm certain you can find a good friend for her very inexpensive. I wish you the best! And congratulations on your baby! Chickens are wonderful and bring so much joy to life. You will see. Have fun and enjoy your baby.