1 chick discontent and LOUD

[ElizaMay]

We recently incubated and hatched out 7 chicks, and that has brought me here today, as one is having troubles I can't yet figure out.
They are 3 days old now.
The brooder has a warm section where the temp goes between 98-100 F. There is water, feed, socializing and drop-naps in between moments of zipping around.
I chick began loudly chirping, in spurts. He will stand and doze to the point his head will touch the floor, then will startle awake and chirp loudly. He does drink and peck.
But this went on all through the night, every 5-7 minutes, and it woke me almost every time. I put a soft fluffy item in this morning, and the chick napped a few minutes to then take off and stsnd with the other 6 who were doing their thing (eating, napping, grooming tiny wingtip pin feathers.
He seemed to have a wee bit of pasty butt, which I removed with warm water, and does not have it this morning. We are very rural (lucky to be able to buy scratch and layer crumbs) and also under Covid lockdown. We are feeding a mix of crumbs, cornmeal and oatmeal ground in a blender and they are all eating it. Please font tell me I will have to make a sling and wear this chick to settle it lolol!!

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I believe that may be to hot. I don't remember the exact temps.@aart

 

[ElizaMay]

I believe that may be to hot. I don't remember the exact temps.@aart

Hi Auntiejessi3: it is only that warm at the light, the other end of my brooder box is about 75-80, so they can go back and forth to wsrmer or cooler areas.

 

[aart]

The brooder has a warm section where the temp goes between 98-100 F.

Yeah, that's too hot, but good the other end is cooler.
I take it you're using a heat lamp?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-chick-heat-blurb.75619/

We are very rural (lucky to be able to buy scratch and layer crumbs)

We are feeding a mix of crumbs, cornmeal and oatmeal ground in a blender and they are all eating it.

None of that is good for chicks....could be the pasty butted chicks problem.

 

[LaFleche]

We recently incubated and hatched out 7 chicks, and that has brought me here today, as one is having troubles I can't yet figure out.
They are 3 days old now.
The brooder has a warm section where the temp goes between 98-100 F. There is water, feed, socializing and drop-naps in between moments of zipping around.
I chick began loudly chirping, in spurts. He will stand and doze to the point his head will touch the floor, then will startle awake and chirp loudly. He does drink and peck.
But this went on all through the night, every 5-7 minutes, and it woke me almost every time. I put a soft fluffy item in this morning, and the chick napped a few minutes to then take off and stsnd with the other 6 who were doing their thing (eating, napping, grooming tiny wingtip pin feathers.
He seemed to have a wee bit of pasty butt, which I removed with warm water, and does not have it this morning. We are very rural (lucky to be able to buy scratch and layer crumbs) and also under Covid lockdown. We are feeding a mix of crumbs, cornmeal and oatmeal ground in a blender and they are all eating it. Please font tell me I will have to make a sling and wear this chick to settle it lolol!!

Pasty butt often happens with too high temperatures in the brooder.

If you are feeding them anything other than fresh chick starter crumbles, they will need sand/chick grit for digestion. The mix you describe seems to lack protein and probably minerals and vitamins too.
Take a look at the list of ingredients on the crumbs package to make sure they will get at least 21% protein. Adding cornmeal and oatmeal will lower the percentage of protein considerably, but adding some boiled egg to the mix would help to balance it.

 

[ElizaMay]

Yeah, that's too hot, but good the other end is cooler.
I take it you're using a heat lamp?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-chick-heat-blurb.75619/




None of that is good for chicks....could be the pasty butted chicks problem.

Yes, waiting for our Titan brooder plate to come from amazon.

 

[aart]

Yes, waiting for our Titan brooder plate to come from amazon.

You should order some real chick starter too.

 

[ElizaMay]

You should order some real chick starter too.

When we had hens that raised their own, they ate what she ate (layer crumbs/pellets) and whatnot. One of this batch of chicks we just hatched actually snatched a fly out of the air, hubby told me
I just put in scrambled egg moistened with water for them, and have put some petroleum jelly on and around Chirpy's bum, 'styling' the down away from his anus. I noticed he was drinking a bit more water tonight and not quite as noisy.
We have appointments for vaccine tomorrow in a city a couple of hours away, so we'll see what we can get at the farm store there. I've had a stroke and a kidney transplant so we are loathe to go out of our area and risk Covid exposure.

 

[ElizaMay]

Well the scrambled eggs and grit seemed to do it, a silent night and happy chicks running, cheeping and napping this morning

 

[LaFleche]

Well the scrambled eggs and grit seemed to do it, a silent night and happy chicks running, cheeping and napping this morning

Glad it worked for your chicks.

When we had hens that raised their own, they ate what she ate (layer crumbs/pellets) and whatnot. One of this batch of chicks we just hatched actually snatched a fly out of the air, hubby told me

Comparing these different ways of raising chicks does not work, since the broody spends most of her day catching insects and scratching for worms to feed to her chicks, so they get protein boosts all day long and the layer feed/crumbles would have been just a small additional part of their daily intake.

Inhouse brooder chicks may catch one or two flies that found their way into your home, but that would be a rare occasion and the lack of protein would show very soon.