Tips for raising baby chick from birth?

[drp1ckles]

Hello, everyone!

I have 4 chickens (3 hens and 1 rooster), and currently one of my hens, Penguin, is sitting on one of her eggs (I don't want her sitting on multiple because we're only gonna let one egg hatch). I'm not sure what day exactly she's been sitting on them, but the egg is on day 19. I've raised my four chickens since they were baby chicks (got them from tractor supply, I'm not sure how old they were, but they were super young!) and so I have some experience with chicks, but does anyone have any tips for raising a baby from birth? I wanna be super prepared so that the baby chick is gonna be healthy and happy!

Any help or tips are greatly appreciated! Thank you everyone!

Also, here's a picture of my chickens on the day I first got them! (August 4th, 2018) (There's two other Orpingtons because we had 3 roosters but we gave two away) I just thought I'd share a picture of them!

 

[Evelyn Walker]

Hi there, why are you only letting Penguin hatch one chick? Are you planning on letting her raise it? If so, just provide feed and water for mom, she should do the rest.

Also, I'm not sure if you were aware, but, around 75% of chicks that hatch are roosters, so you should be prepared for this if it hatches.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

75% of chicks are roosters? This is incorrect. The ratio is approx 50:50 males to females.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

I also wonder why just the one chick? Mother hens tend to wean their chicks off their care around 6-8 weeks old, after that the chicks spend all their time together until they reach sexual maturity and then they tend to go their own way a bit. A single chick is always lonely eventually whether it's raised by a hen or in a brooder.

The best way with a baby chick is to let the mother look after it - she will need chick food and water in shallow dishes, and a safe place away from the flock (segregated by chicken wire so they can see each other but not touch each other) for the first few days at least. The nest area must also be accessible from the ground for the chick who will not be able to fly or jump well for a couple of weeks. The mother should be able to protect the chick from the flock who will want to peck it every chance they get.

 

[drp1ckles]

Hi! Thank you guys for replying and giving me tips! It really helps out a lot!!

Also, to answer the both of you, we want another baby chick, but just one, not a bunch of them.

 

[Evelyn Walker]

75% of chicks are roosters? This is incorrect. The ratio is approx 50:50 males to females.

Hello! Are you basing this statement off of personal experience or information on the internet? IME, when hatching out chicks or getting st. run, around 75% are roosters, so I was just stating that. I have found the commonly cited 50:50 ratio to be incorrect, unfortunately.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

Well I had believed it to be known fact but I also verified this online.

Strangely enough, because of your comment I just did a count back over every chick I have ever hatched and raised to adulthood over the years (not including a few I sold before I was able to sex them) and believe it or not there were EXACTLY 50% cockerels! 42 total chickens and 21 boys, 21 girls. I'm surprised actually because I would have guessed I had hatched slightly more boys,but nope, exactly 50/50.

 

[Chickassan]

You should have placed at least 3 eggs under Penguin in case the egg does not hatch or the single chick is lost.
A hen searching for her chick is heartbreaking.
As has been said single chicks aren't a good idea if you can avoid it.
The ratio is a lie.
2017 hatch 2 female 1 male
2018 hatch 2 male 1 female
2019 hatch 5 female 3 male
You get what you get, the hen decides not the ratio.
EDIT: I forgot! I did two hatches in 2018 lol, i'm senile forgive me.
2018 hatch #2 ....2 male 0 female
It was a sausage fest, probably why I seniled it.

 

[Keeperofmunchkins]

The ratio means if you could count every chicken chick that ever hatched in the history of the world, theoretically 50% would be male, 50% female. Maybe you hatch out 60% total pullets, but someone else hatches out 60% total males. Maybe someone gets 90% cockerels, but someone else gets 90% females, etc. Some people get 'lucky' and end up with more pullets or even all pullets, but when hatching chicks its sensible to plan for half males.

 

[Chickassan]

They should refer to it as an average. The term ratio is misleading to a lot of people.
The mindset every hatch will be set in stone at a certain percentage gets people in trouble.

The ratio means if you could count every chicken chick that ever hatched in the history of the world, theoretically 50% would be male, 50% female. Maybe you hatch out 60% total pullets, but someone else hatches out 60% total males. Maybe someone gets 90% cockerels, but someone else gets 90% females, etc. Some people get 'lucky' and end up with more pullets or even all pullets, but when hatching chicks its sensible to plan for half males.