If only one chick hatches, what do you do?

[cindyanne1]

I know it's still too early to be worried, but I still only have one chick out of the three eggs I set in my R-Com Mini. We're at day 21 now, and there are no signs of life out of the other two eggs.

The one hatchling I have is peeping loudly and sounds so pitiful. I haven't seen it eat or drink yet... all it does is cry until it gets exhausted, then it falls asleep. When it wakes up it starts to cry again.

I don't have any other young chicks I could put it with. I was hoping I'd have at least two from this hatching... I was actually hoping at least two would hatch or else none would.

I feel so bad for that poor lonely chick.

If any of you have had this happen, what did you do?

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

do you have a small stuffed animal or feather duster add that to the brooder and it will help and be prepared for a chicken pet the single chick I got once turned into a pet because she thought we where chickens and dosen't like the other birds

 

[Junkmanme]

Having been an "only child", when my broody hen hatched only one chick, I went to the feed store and bought some more day-old chicks and put them with the hen also. It worked out fine.

 

[ChickyLaura]

I contacted a local BYC-er, and bought a few chicks. I should say, a few too many chicks! Ha ha!

 

[HBuehler]

I agree with the others..find more baby chicks to keep it company

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

When I had a single it was early jan and unexpected a silkie X was sitting on eggs under a bunch of pens, when the chick hatched she kicked it out, there was no way to get extra chicks and a stuffed animal workes great, if you don't want extra chicks

 

[eggsrcool]

I had the same problem with my R-Com mini also. I never got any more chicks from a feed store etc.. instead a put more eggs in, so in 3 weeks s/he could have some company. They tend not to grow up as a flock bird, so when they get older they might be scared of chickens as they wont know they are chickens themselves! Try to keep it company with other chicks or put more eggs in the incubator as soon as you get the other chick out! I hope all goes well!

 

[Ridgerunner]

The feather dusters or stuffed animals are good ideas. If you can, put the brooder in the coop where it sees the other chickens. It might help some.

I had a hatchery chick in a group of 28 that would just stand and peep miserably, even with the others. When I got them, I dipped each chick's beak in water to show them where the water was. When it was behaving this way the next day, I dipped it's beak in the water again. It stood there, drank a lot, and quit the distressed peeping. Yours is probably just lonely, but maybe there is another problem.