Need tips to keep a lonely chick company... without having him sleep in my bed!

[LTygress]

For the very first time since owning chickens, I have a chick that hatched alone, and will be alone for several weeks, with no alternatives. I've been asking around to see if someone else nearby had chicks hatching soon. I've called stores. I even looked online, but it's going to cost far too much to get them sent to me, and I still have to wait about 2 weeks.

So here's a little bantam chick that hatched today, and he's in the brooder all by himself. So far I've tried to leave him alone. I put a small shallow dish of water in there, and the same for food. I showed him both of them (he drank a sip and ate a single piece of food so I'm confident he knows). I have a red-light brooder lamp, and all other lights in the room turned off.

What else can I do? Lonely chicks make INCREDIBLY loud chicks, and I've already had to move him to the laundry room and away from the bedrooms because of this (brother-in-law was sleeping). I've ordered everyone to stay out of the room so he doesn't get excited about movement, and the TV has been turned down also.

Any other ideas on what I can do to keep him quiet? I know he's really just lonely right now, and I wish there was some way I could get a friend or two for him. Being a bantam doesn't make it any easier - anything BEYOND a day-old standard chick would be too big. Do the feather dusters work to keep them feeling secure? I've always had other options to keep them company, so I'm lost with this little one!

 

[allieszoo]

I just had this happen as well, I ended up with a lone chick and my older hens wouldn't take it. What finally worked to settle the little guy down was a stuffed duck and a small mirror. The chick climbed under and over the stuffed animal like it was it's mother and would chirp to itself in mirror.

He did still require a little more attention then when I have had groups of chicks, but it did stop the LOUD never ending chirping.

I am getting another batch of day olds in about two weeks and am desperately hoping I can sneek this little guy in with them - he is about a week old now.

 

[SobbaChickens]

A mirror and a stuffed animal. I haven't seen too much about using a feather duster so I have no advice for that


Katie

 

[my sunwolf]

A mirror and a stuffed animal. I haven't seen too much about using a feather duster so I have no advice for that


Katie

Agree, this combination has always worked with my lone babies!

 

[LTygress]

Aha! Mirror! I never would have thought about it, but it makes sense! He would 'see' another chick!

Thanks for the tip! I'll be buying a small mirror to fit in the cage tomorrow!

 

[LTygress]

UPDATE: Worked like a charm! While laying in bed last night, I forgot I had a set of three decorative oval mirrors in storage outside in the shed. The smallest one fits easily along the short side of the brooder cage, but it was too dark to get it then. I woke up around 6am and got it just as it was getting light enough to see out there. And I had a little "quacking" cadbury bunny that was given to me after Easter, sitting in a box - of all the stuffed animals I could have right then!

And I haven't heard a thing since putting those two in his brooder this morning! He does still chirp like a normal curious chick, but being in another room I don't hear it. And it's a very far cry from the extremely loud, lonely chirping he was doing (and all chicks do when they are alone). So it solved the problem completely! He actually hasn't touched the bunny at all yet, but he is completely enthralled with the mirror chick!

Although it's so cute watching him trying to peck at the little imperfections on the other chick in the mirror, or peck at his toes to see what they are, and he only hits glass! Lol! But he does cuddle up against his new mirror-friend for naps!

 

[theoldchick]

Aw, bless his little heart.

 

[LTygress]

Here the little one is, checking out his new mirror-friend. You can see his cadbury bunny playmate in the background of the reflection too. But he hasn't done anything with the bunny yet - he's too interested in hanging out with the chick in the mirror!

 

[countrycakelady]

WOOT!! Bless his little furry heart! Good job Mom!

 

[allieszoo]

aw I am so glad the mirror worked for your little guy as well! The loud, constant, lonely peep is the worst. Hope that will hold him over as well until he gets his little friends.