The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: ClaireF on May 21, 2011, 09:47:27 am
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I've got a wee chick in the house - he hatched on Wednesday, I think his egg was broken by accident. Anyway we brought him in and put him in a bowl on the aga.
He's been getting better and better but now I don't know what to do with him. He's cheeping away quite the thing. He has water and some chick crumbs but is not eating as far as I can see.
Should I put him outside in a wee pen on his own? Put him with a hen? I've no other chicks or I could have added him to another family maybe.
Any suggestions will be very gratefully received!!
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You will rpobably need to teach him how to eat and drink. Use your finger to peck at the crumb to show him how its done. I wet my finger and pick up some crumb and then offer it to them.
One chick on his own will get very lonely you need to get him some chums from somewhere. If he hatched from eggs under a broody I would be tempted to let her have him back. You can try popping him back under her at night when eveyones calm and quiet.
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she might reject or/and eat him, though - caution :chook: :&>
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We recently had a lone chick. It was the only one that hatched under my broody hen, ( the rest were unfertile) we removed him from her when she stood on the partly hatched chick crushing him and all the shell around it. I was worried it would die, so I popped it in our incubator to hatch in peace.
Two days later when it was all fluffed up and eatings and drinking, I popped it back under my broody just before bedtime and they are now happily scratching around in the run now.
Glad I returned the chick really as it has now snapped my hen out of her broodiness and hopefully after raising this chick we might get some eggs from her again.
If you would rather keep the chick and raise it yourself then I have used a small stuffed teddy in with a lonely chick and it gives it something to snuggle up to and stops it cheeping so loudly.
Otherwise you could use it as a very good excuse to buy some more ;D
Steph xx
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Thank you everyone.
The wee chick has now gone to a new home with friends and fingers crossed he/she will be fine.