So I got home and my hen was dead ( she crawled into a gap between the nesting box and the cage bars and got stuck and I wasn't there ), and I thought her chick and her eggs were dead. BUT, as I take down the nest box, I hear a little cheep.

 

So now I have a two-day old chick that needs hand rearing because the dad won't sit on her.

 

Yes, I have great luck with my birds.

 

She's in a brooder under a heat lamp, and she's warm now.

She has food in the crop from dad feeding her ( but he isn't going to sit on her, useless thing ) and it's school holidays so I can be THERE 24/7 ( luckily ).

 

 

So, PLEASE help! She's TWO-DAYS old and I'm seriously panicking. Seriously.

 

If this chick survives, I'm going to call her Miracle or something like that.

 

I have everything for hand rearing.... except experience.

 

 

 

Thank you!!!!

 

I'll post pics of the brooder so you can advise.

You really need to take her to someone with newish babies in their nest and put her in with them to be raised.

I don't know anybody with new bubs

 

She survived the night, anyway, had a couple of feeds.

 

I'm going to see if my wildlife rehabber knows anyone with chicks in this area today.

I don't know anybody with new bubs

 

She survived the night, anyway, had a couple of feeds.

 

I'm going to see if my wildlife rehabber knows anyone with chicks in this area today.

 

Call the closest club to you, and they might be able to help you find someone who has birds down breeding.

 

Try looking on some classified websites to see if anyone is selling baby birds in your area, and contact them to see if their breeders. Otherwise, you have little to zero chance of her surviving.

okay, I'll try and find a club.

 

Everything's going alright, she's feeding well and everything. But I think she's starting to get splayed legs - can I fix that when she's so young ( with sponge? )?

I swear she's grown a bit, too. And I THINK she has plum eyes ( I'm not certain though, but they aren't fully black ) and she lost the egg tooth.

 

I have a system now for feeding her in the middle of the night - she cheeps when she get hungry, which wakes me up ( I'm a seriously light sleeper ).

 

 

 

Pics from the first night.

No you cant use the sponge on her/his at this age. Chance are she/he isnt splayed.their legs are all over the place at this age and not tucked under them yet for support. Make sure she/he has calcium in her/his feeds.

Thanks

 

I ask my wildlife rehabber if she knew anyone who had babies, and she's going to ask around for me.

 

Can I add calcivet to the formula for extra calcium?

Yes you can

Ratzy, are you feeding her hand rearing formula? Because if so, I wouldn't add any extra calcium. It is already formulated with the proper amount. Too much calcium is known to cause deformities, just as too little calcium is.

 

Also, I think your chances of raising her successfully are very good. You already have the midnight feedings figured out, and to me, that was the hardest part when I had to hand raise some day old chicks. That and keeping the warmth constant.

 

I used a 5 gallon fish tank for a brooder, with a heating pad underneath half of it, and a towel covering the whole thing for darkness. The hard part was finding a heat pad for sale that didn't have an auto shut-off mechanism, because turning it back on every two hours was a major pain! The advantage of a heat pad over a heat lamp is that the baby can be in darkness, which is more like how it would be in a nest box.

 

I line my brooders with some newspaper in the bottom, and several layers of white paper towel above that, and no other bedding. I remove the top paper towel as it becomes soiled, and when I get down to the newsprint, I empty the whole thing, clean it out and start over. You can start adding oats and seeds after the chick is old enough to walk around and start pecking at stuff. Oh, and I add a small stuffed animal for something to cuddle up against.

 

It sounds like you are managing very well. Good luck and keep us posted!

Hi Ratsy,

I have everything crossed for you to get your little one through. I have never had to try to hand rear a chick. Good luck with it kiddo and keep us posted.

 

 

 

P.S RATSY, JUST AS A PRECAUTION. CHECK OUT FOOD AND NUTRITION POST. FROM KAZ about a recall for hand rearing formula.

Just in case you have the brand they are recalling.

Edited April 11, 201213 yr by robyn

Any update on your chick Ratsy?

Sorry I haven't been on, little Baby passed away just as she was opening her eyes :'(

 

I think it was a bacterial thing - when I found her she had rotten food in her crop, so maybe that only just caught up. She just lost feeding response, and then I knew something wasn't quite right and she passed at about 4 am, at 7 days old.

I think I have been using that brand of formula, I can't remember because I threw out the packet and just stored it in a sealed container and typed up the intructions.

 

 

 

RIP Baby :'(

 

 

 

If I ever have a chick needing to be raised this young again, at least I know I'm pretty good with feeding and stuff.

 

Going out to get new formula now.

Sorry you lost your baby Ratsy, you did well to get it to a week old. Maybe next time you will have better luck.