One lone chick - what do I do?

[ColemanD]

First time chick owner and it started out so well. Unfortunately, it has ended in tragedy as a predator got all of our chicks that were in their coop!
We have ONE girl left who was isolated in a separate coop due to a leg injury. She is 7 weeks old, walks with a limp, and is all alone now. She is such a sweet and gentle thing and I need to know what is best for her. Do I see if I can find maybe 3 more chicks? Would it be better to find someone with chickens to take her in? I don't want to do that, I want to keep her and also, she has that limp. Probably won't be good for her to join another flock, anyway, right? Will she do ok with a few younger chicks?
I would appreciate any advice you can give me.

 

[FC16]

First time chick owner and it started out so well. Unfortunately, it has ended in tragedy as a predator got all of our chicks that were in their coop!
We have ONE girl left who was isolated in a separate coop due to a leg injury. She is 7 weeks old, walks with a limp, and is all alone now. She is such a sweet and gentle thing and I need to know what is best for her. Do I see if I can find maybe 3 more chicks? Would it be better to find someone with chickens to take her in? I don't want to do that, I want to keep her and also, she has that limp. Probably won't be good for her to join another flock, anyway, right? Will she do ok with a few younger chicks?
I would appreciate any advice you can give me.

She really does need a friend. But I’d worry that adding 3 more chicks of the same age right now would do more harm than good, given her injury. I don’t think adding a couple younger ones with her would be a bad idea , obviously not too young, but young enough that they wouldn’t be able to harm her. Inevitably they may fight a little at first but in the end I think she’d appreciate the company.

 

[Lor]

It's up to you to decide what to do. If you do get some friends for her you will have to introduce slowly (as you would with any new flock mates). In the mean time, maybe a stuffed animal and a mirror so she won't feel as lonely?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Oh that’s so sad

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I would get her 2 friends, a breed with tendency to be nice. Meaning don't roll the dice with RIR's or Delaware, go with Creme Legbar, EE or Orpington, something like that. If you get chicks that are alot younger than her, put them in whatever separation provides hardware type fence in between so she can feel not alone but can't beat them up at least until they're bigger. And obviously make sure to fix the predator proofing. Good luck

 

[K0k0shka]

I agree with the others, get her some young friends and fix the predator proofing. You can get baby chicks, those will probably be easiest to find and the safest bet for her as started pullets close to her age will gang up on her and beat her up. So get some baby chicks with a brooder plate (not a heat lamp, it will be too hot for her) and start with a see-through divider between them at first (like chicken wire) just in case, but I doubt she'd harm them. She's a loner and they'd have the majority, plus she's starved for company and will probably appreciate and enjoy having friends, so the chances are good that she won't do anything to them. Somebody posted on here a while back about an adolescent pullet who was left alone and was given baby chicks as friends, and the story was adorable. The chicks claimed the pullet as a mom and would snuggle under her and follow her around, and she enjoyed the attention and was gentle with them. I don't remember how old she was, but some kind of fully feathered though still young pullet.

 

[ColemanD]

I agree with the others, get her some young friends and fix the predator proofing. You can get baby chicks, those will probably be easiest to find and the safest bet for her as started pullets close to her age will gang up on her and beat her up. So get some baby chicks with a brooder plate (not a heat lamp, it will be too hot for her) and start with a see-through divider between them at first (like chicken wire) just in case, but I doubt she'd harm them. She's a loner and they'd have the majority, plus she's starved for company and will probably appreciate and enjoy having friends, so the chances are good that she won't do anything to them. Somebody posted on here a while back about an adolescent pullet who was left alone and was given baby chicks as friends, and the story was adorable. The chicks claimed the pullet as a mom and would snuggle under her and follow her around, and she enjoyed the attention and was gentle with them. I don't remember how old she was, but some kind of fully feathered though still young pullet.

As I said, I am new to chickens, but I truly believe that she would be good to baby chicks. With her having the limp and being alone, I feel that having some little ones to look after and care for could be good for her.

 

[K0k0shka]

As I said, I am new to chickens, but I truly believe that she would be good to baby chicks. With her having the limp and being alone, I feel that having some little ones to look after and care for could be good for her.

Definitely. She's too vulnerable to be placed with peers or older chickens, so babies would be perfect for her.