One little chick seems to not have imprinted on his mother. What to do?

[MotherCharlotte]

I am new to raising chickens. When we moved into this house just over a month ago, there were a few chickens left behind by the previous owners, and we've been trying to care for them the best we can. Two of the hens soon went broody, but only one had a clutch of eggs so we separated the eggs between them.

Then, 4 days ago all the eggs hatched. One hen had 11 chicks, the other one 6. Everything has been going fine and the chicks are growing noticeably already.

Yesterday both my husband and I on separate occasions found one little chick who was separated from the group, chirping like mad. We returned him to his mother and thought everything was okay. But today, the 2 hens with their babies are foraging in the yard, and this little guy always seems to be off by himself, chirping loudly. I kept putting him with his mother, and he wouldn't follow her. So I tried putting him next to the other hen, and he seemed to follow her group for a little bit, but eventually ended up by himself again.

It's like he doesn't see the other chickens, he doesn't pay attention to either hen and he tries to forage for himself. This isn't working very well and he already looks smaller than the other chicks. I've tried encouraging him to eat food but haven't had much success.

I feel this chick is going to die unless I do something. Should I put him in a cardboard box with his own food supply? I don't have a setup with a heat lamp or anything...

 

[sourland]

Is there a possibility that the chick is blind? Even if blind I would think it would respond to the mother's clucking. Possibly it is unable to eat and has become so debilitated that it can not keep up. Sadly not all of them make it. Nature is about survival of the fittest. If you set the chick up in a box and tried to strengthen it, it would need a heat source of some sort. Good luck at reaching a resolution.

 

[MotherCharlotte]

Thanks. I hadn't even thought that he might be blind - that is possible. He really doesn't seem to see the other chickens and his eyes are often closed, too.

Unless as you said he cannot eat for some reason. He wouldn't even eat the yogurt I tempted him with. Perhaps I will just have to let nature take its course in this case.

 

[MotherCharlotte]

This is so sad for me. I think we are going to have to euthanize this chick. He just stands in the middle of the yard and cheeps loudly like he is in distress, but he never goes over to the other chickens, or food. It is so easy to go and pick him up too, I am starting to feel certain he is blind.

 

[sourland]

So sorry that you have to deal with this.

 

[donrae]

Sorry you have a challenge this soon on your chicken keeping, but it's probably as good a time as any to make some decisions. Are you going to try to care for a special needs bird, or just give it mercy? Something many of us run into, hatching out birds. Best wishes to you.