Found baby Chick

[Slucente18]

Okay..

So my sister has a neighbor that found a baby chick by a McDonald's and brought the chick to her house. She brought it to me and I currently have a backyard flock of 11 hens.
The baby can't be more than a week old. Can I trust my hens to mother the chick or do I raise the chick up inside alone without other chicks?

Worst case I just buy more babies

 

[Eggstatic ChickyDoo]

Unless your hens have been broody for at least a couple is weeks they aren't likely to take in a chick. I would go with buying a buddy (or mirror and snuggle toys) and raise it in a brooder.

 

[NatJ]

I currently have a backyard flock of 11 hens.
The baby can't be more than a week old. Can I trust my hens to mother the chick

Your hens will probably not mother this chick.

or do I raise the chick up inside alone without other chicks?

Worst case I just buy more babies

I think the best choice would be buying a few more to keep it company, and then raising them together.

Whether you raise it alone or with other chicks, you might set up a brooder in the coop so the chick can safely become acquainted with the adult hens from an early age.

Here's an article about that idea:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/

 

[Slucente18]

Unless your hens have been broody for at least a couple is weeks they aren't likely to take in a chick. I would go with buying a buddy (or mirror and snuggle toys) and raise it in a brooder.

I like the mirror and toys idea but I may get more chicks.. chicken math

 

[Slucente18]

Your hens will probably not mother this chick.


I think the best choice would be buying a few more to keep it company, and then raising them together.

Whether you raise it alone or with other chicks, you might set up a brooder in the coop so the chick can safely become acquainted with the adult hens from an early age.

Here's an article about that idea:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop-brooder-and-integration.74591/

Thank you that article was super helpful what an amazing set up!

 

[SilverBirds]

Unless a hen is broody, they will see him as a snack rather then a chicken (until he is a few weeks older).

The problem with raising single chicks is that they grow up and don't know how to be chickens. He won't know how to interact with others and most likely won't be accepted into the flock and will get severely bullied. I'd get him a friend or two.

 

[Slucente18]

Unless a hen is broody, they will see him as a snack rather then a chicken (until he is a few weeks older).

The problem with raising single chicks is that they grow up and don't know how to be chickens. He won't know how to interact with others and most likely won't be accepted into the flock and will get severely bullied. I'd get him a friend or two.

I had a broody hen a couple weeks ago but I broke her broodiness because she was sitting on imaginary eggs and I dont have a rooster so poor baby cant be a mom

Im definitely going to get more chicks!

 

[raingarden]

I'd quarantine a chick found on the street before mixing with my flock. Where are it's siblings and mother? Dead in a ditch from some horrible disease?

With that said though, our local McDonalds has a pretty nice flock of classic feral junglefowl-like birds living (and reproducing) in their parking lot and adjacent field. Nice uniform birds with wild-type plumage. They have done well during the pandemic as a lot of people are eating in their cars and throwing them french fries.