Raising single chick in a brooder?

[Suzy W]

Thursday, I'll be given a newborn chick to raise and eventually introduce to my hen. Can a chick be raised by itself in a brooder or does it absolutely need other chicks with it? I'm raising my chickens on the down low, so I don't want more than two chickens. That's why I'm only getting one chick.

 

[Coreyboy18]

Quote:
Being that chickens are so social, the best idea is to have three, that way if one doesn't make it, you still have another. If it is definitely out of the question, then yes it is possible to raise the chick alone. Some things you could do would be to put a mirror in the brooder with the chick, a feather duster to mimic the mom, and spend LOTS of time with the chick. You can start to introduce them to each other slowly, just keep them separate for the first couple of weeks and then allow them to be in the same area. If you go that route, they should be fine to be with each other unsupervised in a matter of a couple of weeks.

 

[iluvsedward]

i did.

and i got a lovely roo. and a racoon ate my lovely roo.

 

[Barry1963]

When I decided to add a new one to the flock, I went with two. They just get so lonely on their own, much better to have two or more.