# Baby chick, problem sloving



## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

Quick run down. Baby chick is almost 3 week's old. Hatched the 21st. She was the only egg that made it to hatching under a broody mama. About 4 days ago mama hen vanished early morning. Unfortunately baby chick is the only of her age my last bunch of chicks are 8-10 week's with no other broody mamas. And I haven't had any luck sourcing another baby chick to help keep her company.

Ok so currently baby chick is set up inside my house in the broody box (large rubber tote) with a brooder heater food and water. She has a mirror a blanket (thin dish towel) and a few small stuffies to keep her company and we try to make time to play with her a few times a day, at least just to get her out of the box to run around a little more. She's doing well so far.

What I'm worried about is reintroduction. I'm in northern California but in the valley so nights are getting cold about 40-50 and days 70-90. Normally with summer chicks I can move them outside between 4-6 week's old becuase nights stay so warm but I know this baby will be inside longer then that. Becuase she's the only 1 of her age I'm worried about when we move her back outside. Of course she'll need time to adjust to the temps and her own space while she gets use to being outside. I have 2 small pens I can put her in if I can get those chickens to go to the main coop. My chickens free range during the day. And though I don't want her to feel lonely being locked up I also wouldn't want to risk her being hurt becuase she'l be unfamiliar to the flock. 

I guess maybe I just need reassurance that she will be ok despite being alone for now... I've never had to introduce less then 2 and even then usually I have other groups of chicks either from other hens or from the feed store that addres at least roughly close in age. 

She's going to be an awesome people chicken when she grows up, I just hope she can learn to be a good flock chicken too


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

I would try to find at least one more chick for when you reintroduce. They do much better cause they have a friend to run and hide with.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

I don't know if this is right, but this is what I would do. Are these two pens you speak of adjacent? If they are I would put her on one side and another chicken in the other, so they could see each other, and maybe interact a bit, but not hurt each other. Then once they got used to each other you could put them together, then I'd do this again with another hen or two until she had enough buddies to not be singled out. 
If you pens are not adjacent, I'd try to figure out some sort of divider to put between so I could accomplish the introductions this way.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Can you put the cage in the coop so she can intergrate into the flock without getting pecked when she's older? I always find putting them in initally at night helps with them getting accustomed to each other... they wake up together and are more accepting. I'm not sure why its worked, but it seems to. A old farmer told me to do it that way.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

(clap) That would be much easier than what I said.


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## Heathersboergoats (Feb 18, 2019)

Do you have a large dog crate you could put it in so they can see each other? Make sure to have one side blocked so it can get away if they try to peck it through the crate. This has worked for me when introduced chicks into the flock


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## MadHouse (Oct 3, 2019)

I had a single chick hatch in May this year. Her mom left her at 7 weeks, and the little one decided that first night to live with the goats. She would crawl under the kids airplane ears, or sit on their backs to keep warm. She is an awesome people chicken, and has STILL not been accepted by the flock. Apparently as long as they make baby noises rather than ba-gaaking that is normal. Now that it is cold, I pick her up after the lights go out, and place her next to the adult chickens for the night. Chickens can’t see in the dark, so that works.
Good luck with your single baby chick!


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

I can put her in one of the small pens once she's bigger. One is in the chicken run and the other up closer to my house. I need to redo the run as I need to make it taller (escape proof) but that's not an option right now so the chickens dont use the run. The mini pens are those prefab coop and run styles, I use them for chicks and mamas, or sick or injured. I just have 2 groups of 12 pullets 1 group living in each pen. I do really need to move them all into the main coop anyways.


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## Chris488 (Sep 4, 2018)

When introducing new birds, either younger ones to an adult flock or a chick under a surrogate hen, I've always had good luck doing it at nighttime. It's not as dramatic a change and they seem to accept the noobs easier.


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

I've done nighttime into the coop in the past, just never with a single. And the past 2 years I move then chicks yo a mini pen for a week or 2 then start letting them out to mingle. In the past usually by time they have been outside about a month they all move themselves to the main coop but neither of my 2 sets of pullets seems to want to move.

I'm going to have to revamp the run soon so I can at least keep them in the run. A fox or something got at least 2 this morning between 730 and 830 while I was taking kids to school.


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## alicejane (Jan 15, 2014)

You keep calling her a she? What I did was put her into a wire pin with one end covered for protection.
Put her out in day brought her in at night. Then after a while I open the pin on top so she could let herself out
And go back in on her own.


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

Yes I'm pretty positive at this point that baby chick is a female. That's a good idea. My tote isn't easy to move with all the chick stuff in it but I could certainly do that with one of the mini pens if I can get the other pullets out sooner. Working on it this weekend.


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## alicejane (Jan 15, 2014)

Don't forget not to feed too much protein feed as it could get angel wings I forgot this with one of my baby ducks which caused him not able to fly poor baby has poor balance also. Reason is due go his not needing to share he got too much protein. I knew about that but forgot as I had him in the house during winter.


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

Hey, so I finally got one of the mini pens cleaned out and all the pullets moved. She spent her first afternoon outside in the pen. She seemed excited to explore. But we are keeping her brooder tote set up to bring her inside during poor weather and low temps. I know it's not to cold right now with over nights in the 50s but it is too cold for a chick by herself. And since is suppose to rain almost all week with night temps dropping into the 30s it will be easier to keep het inside most of the time. She's doing very well and loves to explore the house with me. She really loves to sit with me (on me). Shes fully feathered now, just a few down feathers still stuck on te ends on the new feathers and a pretty gray color.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad she is doing well.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good to hear.


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