My Chicken Isn't Eating Enough

[vicky1212123]

Hey Im really worried for this chicken. You should try feeding it something nutritious like a hard boiled egg until the chicken food gets there. My birds go crazy for them.

 

[Shezadandy]

Unfortunately, there are no chicken or pet stores food stores near for chickens, except for a PetSmart, but it's 3.5 miles away so my mom won't let me go there. I have to order everything online. Also, my parents won't let me get another chicken, but to me and my brother, the chicken seems to be okay and doesn't have any problems alone. I will be getting things for it like bedding, chicken food, and a heat lamp, but right now, the day I post this and the day after, my momsaid I can't buy anything for it. I'm using the warmest and comfiest things that it is comfortable in and won't eat, a scarf and cotton. So far, it's been alive from 4/11/17 - Present Day.



One question: Is there any reason why whenever I take it out of it's box, it always sits on my lap and starts to sleep? I'm not disturbed by that, and the chicken likes doing that alot.

I know this will be hard to hear, but it's the truth.

Everyone on here wants their animals to grow up healthy and happy, so please understand that we're giving you advice for the chick's well-being. Chickens are flock animals. Every time you put it in the box by itself, it has NO idea how long it will be in there all alone. The feed situation could kill it. If you can't buy the appropriate supplies to fulfill its needs and let it grow and thrive, you are not doing the right thing by keeping it.

Think about the life it has while you're in school during the day. Chickens don't sleep all day like a cat or dog might. They want to run around and search for food and take dust baths and lay in the sun. Dust baths are vital to their hygiene.

Go to youtube and search for 'baby chicks' or just 'chicks' and watch what they do when they have the right food, sunshine, and friends to grow up with. That's what they need. Otherwise you're setting this animal up for a long slow starvation death as it tries to grow without the proper nutrients or enough space in a box with no friends to play with. Someone did put very good advice about making a hard-boiled egg in the mean time.

I really hope you can look beyond your feelings for this bird and help it find a home where it can be happy with other chickens, be in the sun, have the right kind of food, and real ground to scratch.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I really doubt this bird is going to make it and at 3 months, it needs no heat at all. A box isn't good housing for an almost grown bird.

 

[chickens really]

Sorry people are giving you the gears........

You mentioned it is a meat Bird and many are bred to be butchered young....I assume this Bird is getting too heavy to support its self on its legs....Try ordering the feed on line......It is a Chicken and totally up to you on how you feed it ....It would do better on Chicken food.........You could feed it some Sonny-boy cereal which is lots of grains...Give it some fresh veggies....The bird might pass away or it might do alright?

Do what you have to and ignore the drama.......

Good luck..


Cheers!

 

[A Bawkward Name]

rosemarythyme: Nothing to me or my brother looks like the chicken is starving. The day before I post this, I had to go somewhere with my


vicky1212123: I'm gonna try the hard-boiled eggs today or tomorrow, but i can't right now. I'll put a post when I do try them.


Shezadandy: I know how it would be when i'm in school. I do let the chicken out and walk around the apartment, and it always comes to me and follows me. It does start to eat and drink a lot more. I did see a video on babay chicken and how to take care of them, and it did help. I am going to buy the bedding, food, and all its needs, but right now, theres nothing happening to it, and it's very comfortable. I can't buy a cage or coop for it because it takes up too much space and it is too expensive. The place I put the box has a window that is very exposed to sunlight, but I can't takle it out; I live in NYC. And yes, I normally wake up at 10:00 or 11:00 AM, but I don't want this chciken to die, so I make myslef wake up at 8:00 now, the time the chicken wakes up.


ChickenCanoe: I don't have any more space in my house for anything bigger than the box, and it is comfortable in the box, as it was able to stay in the box 6 hours without any problems. My mom doesn't let me take it out when I go somewhere, but sometimes she doesn't mind that I do. It's acually


chickens really: So while I was away for a long time, it ate enough food, and can walk properly. When I got it, its left foot middle toe was cut, so I put a band-aid on it, and that healed it. The day after I post this, my mom said she is gonna let me buy a 2-lb bag of chicken food online from chewy.com. While I read your post, I took a carrot, cut a piece, and gave it 1 sixteenth of that carrot piece, and it ate one piece at first, then it ate all of the pieces and went for water. I'm trying to think the posotive, and it is staying alive fine right now.


Everyone: I fed my chicken, and then for some reason, it pooped, and started to eat its poop! Why was that happening?

 

[The Lazy L]

Everyone: I fed my chicken, and then for some reason, it pooped, and started to eat its poop! Why was that happening?

Because it starving for nutrients you are not providing it.

What is the worst food you ever tasted and refuse to eat? Now pretend that is the only food you are given to eat. Get the point?

 

[Eric 2016]

my first thought is that it's not warm enough to want to eat. I'm surprised a feed store let you buy a single chick. most of the time there is a 6 chick minimum

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm not getting the sense that it came from a feed store. The OP said they have no feed stores nearby to buy feed,

A 3 month old chick shouldn't have an issue with temperature. Unless the OP can't judge the age of the bird.

If it is a CornishX, it could appear much older than it is.

 

[A Bawkward Name]

So the warmth is not too much of a problem. I did some research on temperature before, and a chicken needs 85°F, and the house temp. is 84-93°F.

Chicken Canoe, it is a Cornish X.

Remember, previously said that the chickens there are not normally kept to get as pets or anything, it is a meat store. They get the chickens and the corn from a farm.

So i'm searching up all the good things I can feed my chicken that I have at home.

Thanks to all the help posted and that will be posted.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If it's a meat bird even with the best food and the best care, there's a good chance it won't live long. They're designed to put on weight and grow very fast at the cost of their own lifespan, because they're meant to be butchered young. I'm guessing you bought it because you felt bad for it and didn't want someone to eat it, but the reality is, these animals aren't bred to live long.