Hi everyone!
So I have three chicks, Audrey the Black Australorp, Ellie the EE, and Buffy the Buff Orpington. Buffy is a week older than the other two but has been having some very strange behaviours and symptoms lately.
Of course when I picked them up, she was noticeably larger than the other two. I picked them all up on Sunday (just a few days ago). She was constantly needy, trying to get herself under the others for warmth I assume, when out and about. She is fine under the brooder.
I am feeding them the good kind of medicated feed.
I find that she eats more than the other two chicks....she tries to get into the same feeding holes as them, always seeming desperate to eat. Her crop feels fine, it's just always MUCH smaller than the others. No pasty butt on any of them and she is pooping fine or so I can tell.
Just today, after two days of CONSTANT desperate peeping, my husband and I notice she is now much smaller than the other two! I have no idea how or when this happened, but she is a WEEK older!?
Between the behavioural issues, small crop with eating a LOT yet not growing, does anyone know what it could be? If she were just a runt, ok, fine, but this peeping is just insane! She follows Audrey around (Audrey is the protector of the bunch) and no one is picking on her. If anything, Audrey seems to take care of her....grooms her, leads her to the brooder when she starts REALLY peeping, sleeps with her, etc. It's really quite amazing....
Any ideas?
I don't want to lose this little lady. I can hear her distressed on the baby monitor now and I am starting to panic!
Thanks so much in advance!
So I have three chicks, Audrey the Black Australorp, Ellie the EE, and Buffy the Buff Orpington. Buffy is a week older than the other two but has been having some very strange behaviours and symptoms lately.
Of course when I picked them up, she was noticeably larger than the other two. I picked them all up on Sunday (just a few days ago). She was constantly needy, trying to get herself under the others for warmth I assume, when out and about. She is fine under the brooder.
I am feeding them the good kind of medicated feed.
I find that she eats more than the other two chicks....she tries to get into the same feeding holes as them, always seeming desperate to eat. Her crop feels fine, it's just always MUCH smaller than the others. No pasty butt on any of them and she is pooping fine or so I can tell.
Just today, after two days of CONSTANT desperate peeping, my husband and I notice she is now much smaller than the other two! I have no idea how or when this happened, but she is a WEEK older!?
Between the behavioural issues, small crop with eating a LOT yet not growing, does anyone know what it could be? If she were just a runt, ok, fine, but this peeping is just insane! She follows Audrey around (Audrey is the protector of the bunch) and no one is picking on her. If anything, Audrey seems to take care of her....grooms her, leads her to the brooder when she starts REALLY peeping, sleeps with her, etc. It's really quite amazing....
Any ideas?
I don't want to lose this little lady. I can hear her distressed on the baby monitor now and I am starting to panic!
Thanks so much in advance!
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