Only one hatched...

[ellenaspen]

had 13 in bator but only 1 hatched. Don't know what went wrong. When I candled on day 18 it looked like all but 1 were quitters. And, indeed only 1 hatched. Is there anything I can do to make this lonely soul more happy? I checked with the tractor supply, local feed stores and craiglist to see if I could buy him a buddy but none are available...

TIA, Ellen

 

[CCourson05]

Put a stuffed animal in his brooder and love him... He will turn into a pet bird...

 

[h4ppy-chris]

your it's mama so it's not alone

 

[seminolewind]

First off, you can look at the category here with the state by state members and post on your state thread and see if there's someone nearby that can offer you a chick.

Or you can order 3 or more chicks from Mypetchicken.com . You can see what's available now so you can get them sooner.

 

[cmom]

I have put in a clean terry cloth.

 

[bobbieschicks]

I had that happen last hatch I did. 1 egg out of 14 hatched. We got our adorable AC (Ancona).

I contacted a woman through eBay in a nearby state who only sells eggs on eBay and asked if she would be willing to sell me a chick of the same age b/c all I could find around me were week old chicks. I met her 3 days later and got two chicks the same age as my little AC. It worked out perfectly. Since they were all in the brooder I didn't need to worry too much about the quarantine rule. She was very lonely and seemed at first to be upset by the new chicks, but then they quickly became best buds. Where it has helped the most has been when I moved everyone into the existing flock. She has her buddies to hang with and keep her warm & they all gang together to protect themselves from the big chicks hurting them. It would have been harder, but not impossible for her to be introduced alone into the flock.

You could try to find week old bantams that would work in size with your baby depending on the breed you have hatched. Our AC would have done fine wth a doll & mirror as a chick, but I figured it would be better for her to have support and warmth - warmth as a baby and support as a bigger chick in the existing flock.

Hope this helps!
Bobbie

Here she was in view but not with the White Leghorns - they moved out to the coop that week

Here she is all alone

Here's AC with her two brooder mates

They are all 8 weeks old today!

Here they are recently - best buds!

 

[CarolJ]

You could call Meyer Hatchery and see if they have some chicks they could send. I just checked their website, and they don't list any available. However, almost every other Tuesday around mid-day, they've listed other chicks available after they've shipped out chicks to the people who ordered them. I'd give it a try. You'd have the chicks before the end of the week, and they'd be the same age as the one you have. The option of checking in with people on BYC who live near you is a good one, too. Check Craigslist, too. Good luck.

 

[ellenaspen]

Thanks for all the advice. I just ordered some leghorns from Ideal...they are in Texas as I am. Hopefully they will be here soon and my little one can have some buddies. I'll keep you informed.

 

[seminolewind]

Good for you!!!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Good job - when they are that young they take to each other pretty quick provided they're the same size.