What has she done? A Silkie!!!!

[Bengalcats1]

Quote:
I had one chicken raised by herself from a day old for 3 years and she is by far the friendliest and social chicken we have, loves my dogs and now she has chicken friends and is happy also. So it's not true that they will be anti social, if anything it makes them much more social being an only chick cause they get lots of attention

 

[chickenlover91]

If thats the only one than you need to get at least one more or he will be very lonely, and you need a heat light for him and baby chick food

 

[Kazzandra]

I my experience, I agree with what others say as to chickens raised alone. At least if it turns out to be a rooster, you will be sorry.

I raised a mixed rock rooster alone from weeks 4 until 20 weeks (he was my first chicken since I was very young, a hand-me-down Easter hatchling, and I had no source for any other chickens until that time). A friend gave me two of his hens (which brought with them bumblefoot, scaly feet mites, and other problems that plagued me for years afterwards, but that's another story) and we introduced them.

Years later, this rooster is in the pen with the other chickens, but he is separated from them at all times. He is in an awkward social place-- he doesn't know how to treat humans or chickens. He tries to treat humans like hens (which means trying to grab humans with his beak at times and treading shoes) and he treats hens like objects-- he treads them extremely rough, ripping out tons of feathers, and standing on them after mating. I spend lots of time with him still, but I have to watch out for and understand if I get bit by him.

He also destroyed an eye of my youngest rooster ( a ten pound partridge cochin standard sexed as a female at Ideal-- DOES NOT act like any other cochin I've ever had. Show quality ((until he lost his eye)) but extremely aggressive) who jumped over his five feet tall pen with him once when I was ten paces away. I didn't get there in time. D: That was an unusual and unlucky day.

Learn from my childhood mistakes-- if you can help it at all, don't raise a chicken alone.

 

[tinychicky]

my leghorn hates other chickens and is either mean to them or scared of them! and with people its like she expects food or attention all the time, and if she doesn't get it immedietly she'll attck you like a rooster! and the polish roo i also raised alone was terrified of other chickens and would hide with his head in the corner while the others pecked him. he liked people, but if you did anything other than just hold him he's freak out. maybe it was just the breeds i had raised alone, but i will never make THAT mistake again.

get the silkie a friend. it saves you the risk of possibly having a mean or fearful bird.

 

[tiki244]

You DEFINETELY need some more silkies

 

[Barrdwing]

I raised a stray chick in December a couple of years ago (nobody knew where the mother and sibs had gone) and we've had some rough patches. For a while he wanted to bite me, and we had some discussions about that until he got the message. He's manageable because every day of his life I have picked him up and carried him outside to his tractor in the morning, and carried him back inside at night. In the morning I restrain his feet while carrying him, which he hates, but it keeps him from wriggling free and reminds him that yes, he does have to behave. He lives alone in his tractor and has tried to chase visiting people and other chickens away from inside it; the poor guy is probably neurotic as all heck about his territory, and I haven't yet dared to offer him a hen. I think he'd be impossible in a larger pen. If I let him out to range in the yard, he would probably go after the mail truck and passing cars because he just has no fear, and the life expectancy of a chicken that chases cars can probably be counted in days. So yeah, raising a solo bird can backfire on you in interesting ways.

 

[tinychicky]

Quote:
one can NEVER have enough silkies