Baby chicks require a lot for them to be able to survive.
They need food, shelter water and they need love around them, but does this mean that a baby chick won’t survive if it doesn’t have any baby chicks around it?
This article looks into whether a single baby chick will survive.
Will a single chick survive?
Bringing up your baby chick can be quite a rewarding experience and, if you treat the bird well then your baby chick will live a long and healthy life, but will a single chick survive?
Here is what you need to know:
Chicks don’t do well when left alone by themselves, in fact, this could lead to their death if not addressed. Loneliness can cause the chick to stop eating and thus die because of loneliness.
Other signs, of distress that a lonely chic may show include lethargy, plucking at its feathers, a reduction,n in curiosity, and restlessness.
These birds are very social animals even from hatching, they love to be with their family, their flock, or at least to be with a couple of birds around them.
Single chicks don’t do well on their own, while not all chicks need the same amount of social interaction, some chicks need more than others, and all birds will do good with some social interaction.
Your chick will likely be fine if it is left alone for short periods of time but leaving your bird for long extended periods of time is not recommended.
If the birds don’t have access to other birds then the chicks will soon start to call out in hopes that it’s flock members will come and find them.
A bird will usually be approached by its flock members or will find its flock and go to them in this case. If not then your bird will become anxious stressed and distressed
The bird will call out to you frantically, and will only calm down once you get close and it gets to interact with you. This is a clear sign that the bird wants to be around you and or is looking for social interaction.
What to do:
If you have a single chick it would be a good idea to consider getting another bird to keep it company, especially when you aren’t around to keep the bird company.
Other ways of keeping your bird company would be to install a mirror in its brooder to make it seem as though there is another bird in there with it.
You can also give it a feather duster to interact with, the bird will think that this duster is its friend as well.
This scenario would also mean that you keep the bird close to you as often as possible. This may mean letting the bird interact with you frequently and throughout the day while you’re home.
This will provide the social interactions that the bird needs when living alone
If you can’t take on another chicken at the moment then you may have to rehome the bird. This will give it the chance to live a normal life and interact with members of its own kind.
The other birds in the flock may start pecking at your chick once introduced so you may want to introduce the bird slowly over short periods of time until the flock gets used to the chick.
Giving your chick one friend is also recommended, this will be enough social interaction for the bird.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Chick Keeps Flipping On Back And Shaking, Chick Keeps Flipping On Back, How To Make A Baby Chick Not Feel Lonely, Why Is One Chicken Always Alone, Why Is My Duck Laying On Its Side?, How To Get A Wild Duck To Trust You, Why Do Ducks Splash In The Water, Why Is My Female Duck Squeaking, Male Duck Making High-Pitched Noise