My emu chick wont eat or drink!

So at the moment my emu chick is 5 days old today. Ive put food and water in its pen. However im not sure if it knows or wants to eat or drink yet. He just started walking (sort of) And today i put my 2 week old Ducklings in the same pen just to show it how to eat. However they are really messy and (poopie?) So dont really want them together.

Is this normal wait time for them to start eating? Not really sure what to do next, ive tried showed them with my finger "pecking" in the food. Any other tip out there? How long can they go without food or water?

You could try small pieces of kale in the water. Some people put in marbles (large enough not to swallow) as emu chicks will be attracted to shiny things. Is your food in crumble form?

yes chick starter crumbles mixed with crushed oats, also tried chopped vegetabels. He does not seem to understand the idea why he has to eat

Does he have energy? Can you put your ducks in an adjacent pen so that there is company and he might be encouraged to move around? I would say water is the most important as the egg sac gives nourishment for 3 days anyway.

Hi, I know it is an old post but the thread was very short and really wanted to know the outcome. I am in the same situation right now and will try the Kale suggestion, How did things turn out for you. I have 4 chicks and 4 still waiting to hatch. 2 so far didn't make it, Shells were so hard they couldn't pip. IThe person I bought the eggs from said he has been having problems with the chicks "getting out", his words, I suspect too much calcium as the eggs are from 3 different pairs but all eggs have a very hard shell.

Avipt said:

So at the moment my emu chick is 5 days old today. Ive put food and water in its pen. However im not sure if it knows or wants to eat or drink yet. He just started walking (sort of) And today i put my 2 week old Ducklings in the same pen just to show it how to eat. However they are really messy and (poopie?) So dont really want them together.

Is this normal wait time for them to start eating? Not really sure what to do next, ive tried showed them with my finger "pecking" in the food. Any other tip out there? How long can they go without food or water?

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Back at dawn: my eyes are bad:

I have seen at least one chick go four days without food or water, after hatching itself, while its siblings were pecking their way out. We all gotta research 'the pecking thing': it's ages since we discussed it here; but I understand you (may) have to teach them to peck.

SE

xbrit said:

Hi, I know it is an old post but the thread was very short and really wanted to know the outcome. I am in the same situation right now and will try the Kale suggestion, How did things turn out for you.  I have 4 chicks and 4 still waiting to hatch. 2 so far didn't make it, Shells were so hard they couldn't pip. IThe person I bought the eggs from said he has been having problems with the chicks "getting out", his words, I suspect too much calcium as the eggs are from 3 different pairs but all eggs have a very hard shell.

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The woman I got my eggs from said she doesnt even offer her chicks food for the first 4 days. Just make food and water available. I put a little sugar, ACV and some rooster booster (vitamins, electrolytes, and probiotics) in my emu chicks water. Water is the most important thing. Do you have any chicken chicks around? Daryl didnt seem like she was eating/drinking the first few days. I put some chicken chicks in with her because she was lonely and i think they taught her what to do as far as eating goes. How old are your emu chicks?

offer water on day 1 but they prob. won't drink it until day 2. Yes, ( as mich9510 said ) adding Vitamins , electrolytes & probiotics to the water is a very good idea.
Offer food on day 4....chicks don't need it until then, they're living off their yolk sacs for the first 3 days.

You can add something shiny to the water ( as EmuChemainusBC said ) like a marble on day two just until they start drinking , don't want them to get big enough to where they can swallow it later on.
That or just wiggle your finger in the water and they will get the idea.

birdeo said:

offer water on day 1 but they prob. won't drink it until day 2. Yes, ( as mich9510 said ) adding Vitamins , electrolytes & probiotics to the water is a very good idea.
Offer food on day 4....chicks don't need it until then, they're living off their yolk sacs for the first 3 days.

You can add something shiny to the water ( as EmuChemainusBC said ) like a marble on day two just until they start drinking , don't want them to get big enough to where they can swallow it later on.
That or just wiggle your finger in the water and they will get the idea.

Click to expand...

'something shiny in the water'? What a good idea. I do so enjoy reading the non-wild-emoo stuff.

Here are The Evils. I've stopped feeding them, as they must learn to be independent. They are still being 'parented' by Number One the female, who has stopped pecking them on the head, and just accepted that these chicks are gonna follow her everywhere.

It's hilarious to see them growing independent. They wander as far as thirty or forty yards from one another; realise they're hopelessly horribly marooned on a distant planet; and started cheeping in distress at the top of their voices.

I can now discern several of them. The one in the picture, 'hunting' for figs with me down at the fig tree, is 'Beaky Cheeper,' the brash one. If you look closely, you can see the bump on its nose that gave it its name:

Thank you for the info. My chicks ages range from 6 days t o 1 day, now total 6 but still 2 eggs to hatch, fingers crossed.