In over my head- introducing hand-reared solo chick.

[catandmilkart]

Does anyone have experience trying to get a solo chick to make friends?
* * *
I have 3 bantam hens in the city, all of whom have a low-level sniffle/sneeze. I believe it is coryza since it never goes away. Before I "diagnosed" the coryza, we had a really bad hatch in the spring that resulted in one chick. She was rejected and hand-reared inside. The chick is 3 months old, just as big as my other birds, and I need to get her out of the house!

The hens all hate her, of course. They harangued her when she was outside in a dog-crate for a couple weeks, and she is terrified of them. Lately, my process has been to take her and the most docile old hen and let them free-range, while the more aggro hens stay in the run. But the yard is so big that the chick stays far from the hen, and they haven't bonded at all. Today, I reversed it and put the chick and the old hen in the run: the chick is good at avoiding the other bird, who ignores her unless she isn't paying attention and gets too close. I used a water bottle to try to "train" the old bird when she pecked, but I can't sit outside all day and be consistent with that.

I don't know that this hand-reared solo chick even knows *how* to bond with another chicken; I've introduced hens before and usually they assume a submissive pose and work it out quickly. If I were to try to get another chicken to bond with her, would she be just as freaked out? She has no desire to become friends with other birds-- all her experiences with other chickens have been negative.

The chick can't be re-homed because she has coryza, or whatever that low-level sniffle is. I can't re-home my more aggressive birds for the same reason. Obviously. I don't like the culling option (I'm a vegetarian...I don't even know if I could kill a bird.) Is there a coryza chicken rescue??

If I continue to try my young-old hen combo, is there a chance that they would eventually chill out and become a team? Are we going to have to put another coop outside for solo-chick and alternate free-range days? Uuggghhhhh! Are there any better solutions you all can think of?

 

[Cyprus]

It may sound harsh or wierd but I put my solo bantam chick in with the others at roosting time and left her there. The next day, she was fine.

 

[RWise]

One chick is tough, it has no friends, easy for predators to grab, and I have a single in the flock now but mine are full size EEs.
I got lucky and Mother Nature (Thank you Mother Nature!) sent me a young (few day old) turkey. I put it in solitary with this chick (in site of the flock). The chick was about 4 weeks old, and I was at odds as to what to do.
They have became friends and are out in the flock after 2 weeks in the pen. All went very well, and with a friend I am not as concerned.
Something down this line may work for your bantam, it needs a friend.

 

[aart]

Have you tried housing the bird next to each other for a time before allowing physical contact?
What does your coop and run look like...pics would help immensely.

This might help:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/introducing-a-single-hen-to-an-existing-flock.71997/

So might this:
Integration Basics:
It's all about territory and resources(space/food/water).
Existing birds will almost always attack new ones to defend their resources.
Understanding chicken behaviors is essential to integrating new birds into your flock.

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best if mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no copious blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down and beaten unmercilessly, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide 'out of line of sight'(but not a dead end trap) and/or up and away from any bully birds. Roosts, pallets or boards leaned up against walls or up on concrete blocks, old chairs tables, branches, logs, stumps out in the run can really help. Lots of diversion and places to 'hide' instead of bare wide open run.

 

[catandmilkart]

Thanks! It’s good stuff... I’ve definitely studied up on the issue, but it doesn’t seem like their situations are exactly like mine, mostly because my chick has NEVER had any flock and Doesn’t want one. It might as well be like popping her in a yard full of alligators. No one wants to be with her and she happily avoids them.

If I get her a friend, that friend will get coryza, and frankly, my chick might just freak out at every chicken she meets, thinking that all chickens are mean. (I don’t think I’m even allowed to have 5 birds in the city, but they are so small....)

A couple weeks ago she was staying in a dog crate in sight of the flock. She was too small and I should’ve held off longer. Eventually, a fox or rat bit her at at night, and she had to come inside to convalesce. (She’s had such a rough life!) Now she is almost full size, but the hens remember that she is pecking-material.

Thanks for taking time to mull this over with me. The coop/run (“hobo-shanty”) is 3.5x8’. There are places for her to jump up and out of the way, and hide behind, but not enough room to escape if they were all in there. We just bought the smaller one for Chick in case she is always a pariah...

...You can see Chick in the run. The other two are eating popcorn while she considers whether she should risk approaching the wire to get hers. Poor lil idiot.