updated with image need help please I found a baby chick that I was not expecting

[Hazelrah]

Hi all, my very first post and I am hoping to get some advice what to do with this unexpected chick. Yes, I knew Lisa was broody but she has been broody many times before with no chicks hatch. So this time I gave her a couple golf balls and ignored her. Tonight I went to gather eggs and heard peeping, looked under Lisa and found one chick and two more eggs. She is sitting in a nest box, way up high above the floor, not the place where a baby chick should get raised but I don't know how to set up a nursery. I am not even sure I should move her. I sure could use some ideas, anyone? Bythe way the chick is super cute, my very first ever baby chicken.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

She's going to bring it to food and water so your going to have to move her to ground level at the least first thing in morning.

 

[bargain]

agreed!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If you don't have a hutch you can put up some chicken wire inside the coop, with food and water. Put a covered kitty litter pan with shavings in it (or a dog kennel) for mama and baby. Make sure the baby has some bricks so it can hop in and out of the enclosure.

You can also use a cut cardboard box and cover it with chicken wire. Mama just needs to have food and water within close reach so she can teach her little one to eat and drink, while tending to the nest for the other two eggs. She can get up and get to it if it is just outside the box too.

Keep the chick safe is my opinion, but some people never separate the hen and babies. Some mamas are better than others or get distracted and then the baby is killed by another hen.

Be sure to let mama out every day so she can do her broody poo and stretch her legs. The best setup is where you can actually give her a hutch with a little fence around it so she can go outside when she wants and take her chicks, too. She will not want to poo in her nest area.

If you don't want to separate mama and baby from the rest of the flock, then a little box on the floor is ideal.

 

[Eggcessive]

I only have a little experience with this, but I would move Mom, baby, and eggs down into a box or dog crate on the floor out of reach of the other chickens. Put some water, chick feed (not layer feed, but chick or flockraiser), and pine shavings or bedding in there. Mom may sit on the other eggs with baby for 2 days, but after that she will probably ignore the eggs after that. You might need to provide a little extra heat if it is extremely cold, but Mom should be able to keep the chick warm without it unless it is near zero. I like to put their beaks into the water and food once, but Mom will show it how to eat and drink. After a few days you can let Mom and baby out of the crate but watch closely that Mom is protecting baby, or you may need to keep them separated for a few weeks. Good luck.

 

[EmAbTo48]

First congrats on the chick! We had our silkie LoLa hatch her first ever chick in janaury he's 2 months now!

I also had lola in the coop while broodying her eggs I gave her 4 but only one hatced. When it hatched I moved her and the chick into the house in a large dog kennel ( it is to cold here for a chick to be outside even with mom). I gave both of them chick starter to eat and waterer and let lola do the rest!

At 6 weeks the chick was feathered out so I took lola out with the chick to the coop to try intergrating them back to the flock and sadly it went terrible. Lola is a great broodier and did good raising the chick but right away she left the chick for over an hour and never returned and my other hens picked on it to much for my comfort. So he is still in the house as of now. He will be integrated when he gets bigger he's a great little roo loves attention!!

If I were you id move mom and chick somewhere by themselves. If its cold where you are maybe in the house? Otherwise if its not terrible out, mom will keep the chick warm enough you shouldn't need a heat lamp! Its fine to feed mom chick starter since she wont be laying eggs while raising baby.

Its pretty easy when you have a hen doing the work

Id love to see pictures.

 

[EmAbTo48]

You can bring the other eggs with her, my hen sat on the other 3 for a week, but they never hatched and she stopped sitting and took care of her chick. So their might not be anything you can do about the other 2 eggs. You can also wait 24 hrs from first hatch to see if any of the other eggs hatch before moving her but id move them all right away.

 

[Hazelrah]

Thanks all for the help and encouragement. I emptied Christmas stuff out of a tote and put Lisa in there with her baby and the other two eggs and left it on the floor of the coop. They were both complaining loudly when I left and Lisa kept trying to get out of the tote. I'll wait half hour and go back out, if there are still problems I will put the lid on the tote (with air holoes of course) and see what happens overnight with the two other eggs. no guarantee they were even laid the same day, or week, and I actually got rid of both roosters over a month ago so I am very surprised with this chick. Tomorrow morning I can pick up baby food, baby waterer, and maybe figure out a better home. It is gonna be hard to sleep tonight!

 

[Hazelrah]

Ok, Lisa and I have both calmed down a bit and now I am starting to think this might be fun. Did Lola let you play with her baby? I hope the answere is yes, I will have a hard time keeping my hands off my new baby.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks all for the help and encouragement. I emptied Christmas stuff out of a tote and put Lisa in there with her baby and the other two eggs and left it on the floor of the coop. They were both complaining loudly when I left and Lisa kept trying to get out of the tote. I'll wait half hour and go back out, if there are still problems I will put the lid on the tote (with air holoes of course) and see what happens overnight with the two other eggs. no guarantee they were even laid the same day, or week, and I actually got rid of both roosters over a month ago so I am very surprised with this chick. Tomorrow morning I can pick up baby food, baby waterer, and maybe figure out a better home. It is gonna be hard to sleep tonight!

Yes I have read that one month is uncommon, but still possible for the hen to have a baby. Two weeks is more commonly quoted on BYC from what I have read. That is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!