How often does a baby chick eat normally?

[lothalvalleyfarm]

I got my shipment of chicks yesterday and one of my RIR pullets seems to be struggling and not feeding itself. She's very quiet, sleeps away from the others on the cooler end of the brooder. Occasionally one of the other chicks will walk up to her and peck at her. I dipped her beak in the food and water twice and haven't seen her self feed, so I've started syringing her drops of water with electrolytes and probiotics in it, as well as watering crumbles into mushy crumbles for her.

This last attempt she drank a couple drops and ate a couple crumbles and then peeped quietly. She doesn't appear to have a crossed beak. Isolating her isn't really an option because I don't have a spare lamp. She doesn't seem to have much instinct to open her beak. Is she a lost cause or is there a chance to get her strength up feeding her? How often would a healthy chick feed itself?

 

[Smokerbill]

She doesn't have pasty butt, does she? Dried poop on her rear end? That will plug a chick up and make it lethargic.

 

[lothalvalleyfarm]

She doesn't have pasty butt, does she? Dried poop on her rear end? That will plug a chick up and make it lethargic.

No she doesn't, I don't even l know if she's eaten enough to have a real poop yet. They get this gel stuff shipped with them.

 

[Chichin Mama]

Unfortunately, some chicks are failure to thrive. I'm not saying that your chick has no hope, but it may be something to check into.

Here's a video that I found very helpful when I had a chick that wasn't thriving:

 

[lothalvalleyfarm]

Well when I went to check on her and feed her about 40 minutes ago she was up and running around and forced me to actually catch her. Once I caught her I got her to drink a few sips, had no interest in the wet crumbles. She was .ore interested in avoiding me lol so hopefully I broke the starvation and she's starting to feed herself. I'll keep checking on her.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How often would a healthy chick feed itself?

Before they hatch they should absorb the yolk. They can live off of that and don't need to eat or drink for over 72 hours. That's why they can be mailed. While they don't need to eat or drink in that time most will eat and drink. Some eat and drink a lot, some not so much. But when that egg yolk runs out they eat when they are hungry, which is why they need food always available when they have enough light to see to eat.

That was not a healthy chick. The only way I know to treat one is to do what you were doing, try to get liquid and "energy" in it to make it feel like eating and drinking. I use hummingbird liquid, some people use sugar water, some use what you did. And it sounds like it worked. Congratulations.

 

[lothalvalleyfarm]

Before they hatch they should absorb the yolk. They can live off of that and don't need to eat or drink for over 72 hours. That's why they can be mailed. While they don't need to eat or drink in that time most will eat and drink. Some eat and drink a lot, some not so much. But when that egg yolk runs out they eat when they are hungry, which is why they need food always available when they have enough light to see to eat.

That was not a healthy chick. The only way I know to treat one is to do what you were doing, try to get liquid and "energy" in it to make it feel like eating and drinking. I use hummingbird liquid, some people use sugar water, some use what you did. And it sounds like it worked. Congratulations.

Couple of hours ago she started gobbling down food from her own special bowl, hoping she starts eating from the brooder feeder on her own. She's running around a lot more. Sadly I can't upload the video of her gobbling up the food.

 

[Chichin Mama]

Couple of hours ago she started gobbling down food from her own special bowl, hoping she starts eating from the brooder feeder on her own. She's running around a lot more. Sadly I can't upload the video of her gobbling up the food.

That's awesome!

 

[lothalvalleyfarm]

Got her to eat for me again and let her get about halfway through and put her in with the brooder feeder. She pecked at it a bunch exploring, not sure if she realized it's food yet. She might just be really dumb. She's exploring a lot more now though.

 

[lothalvalleyfarm]

She started pecking water from her special bowl before bed last night and she's acting like a normal chick in the brooder now, hopeful I pulled her through it.