need single chick advice (and, anyone in Ontario have spare day-olds?)

[patandchickens]

Well shoot... in trying to do a favor for my neighbor and hatch her out some chicks I have ended up creating a *problem* instead, i.e. only one chick from the hatch

First, I don't suppose that anyone within an hour and a half or so of the greater Toronto area might be reading this and have a couple spare chicks hatched on or around Fri Feb 26 to provide this one with companions?

Secondly, can anyone direct me to good threads/webpages/whatever on raising a lone chick? My neighbor will be picking it up this afternoon. She has three kids to keep it entertained, and I've told her about a stuffed animal and a mirror, but there must be SOME other "fine points" to trying to successfully raise a singleton?

I feel really bad about all this, so any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[asher]

I don't know of any web sites, but what we always did was put a stuffy in there for it to cuddle with and a small mirror so it could see itself (and think it was another chick). Good luck! It's hard having an only!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Hatch some friends for it, that's what we did. It was 3 weeks older but they got along fine. The older one tried to mother the babies...it was SO cute!

 

[gritsar]

Pat, the only things I can add along with the stuffed animal and mirror is a feather duster and a rice sock. You know how to create a rice sock and warm it in the microwave right? Of course you do. You know everything!

 

[FrizzlesRule]

I've raised a lone chick three different times in a knitted slipper, all Polishes. It kept them warm and they crawled in it like they would crawl under a warm hen. Of course I kept a warm light on them as well and did put a small stuffed chickie in with them. And picked thm up eveyday. They all lived to be adults, my Silver Laced Polish almost made it to age 14.

But the best thing to do is to try to get a few chicks around the same age for companions.

 

[patandchickens]

The chick is all set up now with a feather duster and a rolled-up sock for company, and I think my neighbor will add a mirror when I bring it over to her brooder this afternoon. I like the rice sock idea, gritsar, I will mention that to her too!

The chick seems perfectly fine so far, just very quiet... not necessarily ominously quiet, just sort of "quarter horse quiet", you know? Maybe -- I am strongly hoping -- this is just a very tolerant, calm type of individual who will be able to deal with being an only. <crossed fingers>

Cindiloohoo, I completely agree -- I have been saving eggs ever since this one hatched Friday, just in case. I cleaned out the incubator this morning, added some more ventilation holes on the offchance that that's my problem, and it is warming up to stabilize, so I can start a new setting tomorrow morning.

I am glad to hear that 3 wks difference will not be too bad -- at what age do you think they'll likely be able to be together (not with a mesh divider, but all together)?

FrizzlesRule, the image of your chicks living in a knitted slipper is just too too cute, I just love that

Thanks everyone, hope things will go okay and 3 wks from now it will have some younger sistesr and brothers,

Pat