Need to re-home a rescued runt chick

[Falooda]

My little brother recently went to a farm house with my dad. It’s owned by a friend of my dad’s. While there, he saw them killing runt baby chicks. (know it’s runt because he asked why are u kill killing them and they said it’s because the chicks were too small.)

My brother originally picked up two of them but one died on the way back to our place.

The problem? We live in an apartment so we can’t get another chick. I ordered a brooder but it’s not arriving until tomorrow. we’ve been keeping this chick warm with blankets.

She’s sleeps in a cardboard box with a blanket and stays on the bottom half of our budgie cage (it had two sections, we separated the sections with a net.. The budgies and her get along okay and don’t harm each other (they like to look
for food together.)

I need to re-home asap (i’m in Brooklyn) My family doesn’t know how to properly take care of him/her and were not prepared for it. We’re not even sure of the exact age but I’m guessing it’s around a week old. Please respond asap, we want to make sure she survives (we have them named nugget for now )

 

[-Chanticleer-]

Poor baby. Wish I could take it.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

You just pull an "ugly duckling" with her, and she will grow up thinking she is a budgie. Problem solved. Just don't let her look at her reflection next to her sisters.

J/k I'm truly sorry you find yourself in this position. I haven't had to do it, but I'd imagine culling / killing chicks can never be a happy thing. Coming face to face with what is a harsh reality for many farmers or breeders must be shocking.

I have raised two batches of chicks that each had a runty baby, and of course I did everything I could to save them and raise them up just like any other chick. One I rehomed because she wasn't actually even a breed I had intended on. The other I still have, and she is one of my favorite chickens, but I know I could never breed her, so for that reason, there may be a time I have to rehome her to make room for new chicks. Or maybe I will keep her forever! Lol that would be sweet. But anyway, there's never a moment I think, man, I should have culled those runty chicks. Not even for a second. I hope and pray I never get there.

They all deserve a chance at life, and I really don't know why they wouldn't have a channel to sell any runts as pets, assuming they are otherwise healthy. I imagine in certain ways it's simpler / quicker to just cull / kill unwanted chicks; farmers may say they are not worth the feed cost, breeders may say they have a reputation to uphold, whatever. It still sucks.

I plan to hatch my first round of chicks in the spring, and I have no reason to think I won't be able to find homes for any of my culls, presuming they have no actual medical issues going on.

I might know someone who has chicks that maybe could get grafted into a mother hen, but the problem others will have is that although the chick shouldn't be raised alone, you're also taking a risk bringing a new bird into an existing flock, so they really should be quarantined. It's so tough. I would advertise on local Craigslist, too. Maybe someone can take her in. In the meantime, she needs a small bag of chick starter crumble type feed, and you said a brooder is coming... Fresh water obviously and maybe some extra vitamins can't hurt, like nutridrench. Hang in there. I think you will make an excellent chicken parent, if only for a little while.

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Did your brother ask what breed it is?

ETA I am assuming it is a meat bird. Many of them don't live too long, even if you don't plan on eating it, because they are bred a certain way. Hopefully a person with chickens can take Nugget in, but the reality is s/he's probably destined not to live too long. :/

 

[arazla]

You probably got the brooder, but it needs to be around 85-90 degrees at that age if I'm not mistaken. Heat lamp or maybe just an electric blanket on low if you have one. Make sure there's room for the chick to move away if it's too hot. We hand fed two sickly chicks with wet mash from chick starter and used droppers for water. They both survived. But you also may need to check for spraddle leg later. There are some good videos on ways to address that. If you do raise it for a few weeks and they're hens, we can take them in upstate NY, but unfortunately we have too many roos for the neighbors as is.