3 week old chick ate hair tie

[mcgriff1985]

My 5 year old son and 4 year old daughter decided they wanted to visit the brooder in our garage. Upon the visit my son tossed a fabric hair tie into the brooder and a chick gobbled it up super fast. I have 10 chicks and I don’t know which one, none seem to have any issues. It has no metal is about the size of a nickle (and seems very soft). I’m a little shocked they swallowed it but I have been giving worms that I dig up in my garden and compost area for the last week to settle them to us a bit more, and they get regular chick grit. I have invested a lot into my little chicks and I am a bit worried. Less so than initially just because the material seems very soft and squishy and I am hoping the grit will help her pass it. I have examined the chicks, none seem bothered or struggling in anyway, I don’t feel any obstructions when I handle them, just curious as to other suggestions. Seems like a wait and pray situation, poor chicky.

 

[nuthatched]

Hopefully she'll be ok. I'd avoid giving worms, they are hosts for parasites.

 

[mcgriff1985]

I am just curious, why should I avoid the worms exactly? I only ask because I was told by the farmer I purchased the chicks from that he lets them run around the chicken yard with the mother hens as soon as the hen takes them out of the laying box, he hatches them in a incubator and tricks his broody hen into thinking she is sitting on fake eggs and then slips a few chicks to each broody hen so she thinks she has hatched her babies. He only said give them some apple cider vinegar for the first 2 weeks then just a small amount 1-2 times a week in their water, he said they can eat chick feed unmedicated because they were pre-vaccinated, and he said that if I have the area to get them out into my yard as much as possible from as young an age as possible, supervised so that no chicks get hurt, I should do that. He specifically said they will scratch and peck and hunt bugs and worms in the yard and that it was good for them to start developing their immune system from a young age, especially in the environment they will be living in. I don't want to introduce dangerous things to my sweet little chicks, but it seems to me they will be exposed to these things at some point anyway, and as its a controlled exposure, it would make sense to teach them to eat them early and often. Mother Hens encourage their chicks to catch and eat bugs and worms from just a few days old normally. I didn't think this would be an issue to feed them worms, and they absolutely LOVE them. It is so fun watching them run around with a worm in their mouths hiding from one another. It is especially funny when I can systematically, with the help of my wife and kids, give them each a worm roughly at the same time so they don't actually have to fight but all 10 will run around at the same time trying to hide from each other so that the other wont take their worm. Not realizing that they each have their own and they can eat them and not have one stolen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am just curious, why should I avoid the worms exactly? I only ask because I was told by the farmer I purchased the chicks from that he lets them run around the chicken yard with the mother hens as soon as the hen takes them out of the laying box, he hatches them in a incubator and tricks his broody hen into thinking she is sitting on fake eggs and then slips a few chicks to each broody hen so she thinks she has hatched her babies. He only said give them some apple cider vinegar for the first 2 weeks then just a small amount 1-2 times a week in their water, he said they can eat chick feed unmedicated because they were pre-vaccinated, and he said that if I have the area to get them out into my yard as much as possible from as young an age as possible, supervised so that no chicks get hurt, I should do that. He specifically said they will scratch and peck and hunt bugs and worms in the yard and that it was good for them to start developing their immune system from a young age, especially in the environment they will be living in. I don't want to introduce dangerous things to my sweet little chicks, but it seems to me they will be exposed to these things at some point anyway, and as its a controlled exposure, it would make sense to teach them to eat them early and often. Mother Hens encourage their chicks to catch and eat bugs and worms from just a few days old normally. I didn't think this would be an issue to feed them worms, and they absolutely LOVE them. It is so fun watching them run around with a worm in their mouths hiding from one another. It is especially funny when I can systematically, with the help of my wife and kids, give them each a worm roughly at the same time so they don't actually have to fight but all 10 will run around at the same time trying to hide from each other so that the other wont take their worm. Not realizing that they each have their own and they can eat them and not have one stolen.

Sounds like the farmer gave you some experienced advice. It's good for chickens to get out, scratch and forage for bugs, worms, plants, etc.

Worms can be a host for internal parasites, so you may find that you need to deworm your flock a couple of times a year. The best thing to do is just take a sampling of poop to your vet, have them run a fecal float and see if they need to be dewormed.

Sometimes it's not possible to find a vet to perform testing, so many folks deworm a couple of times a year (or more depending on climate or if they have noticeable health issues relating to internal parasites). Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole) are 2 common dewormers that people use to treat most types of worms in poultry. Praziquantel is used to treat Tapeworms.

 

[mcgriff1985]

Sounds like the farmer gave you some experienced advice. It's good for chickens to get out, scratch and forage for bugs, worms, plants, etc.

Worms can be a host for internal parasites, so you may find that you need to deworm your flock a couple of times a year. The best thing to do is just take a sampling of poop to your vet, have them run a fecal float and see if they need to be dewormed.

Sometimes it's not possible to find a vet to perform testing, so many folks deworm a couple of times a year (or more depending on climate or if they have noticeable health issues relating to internal parasites). Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole) are 2 common dewormers that people use to treat most types of worms in poultry. Praziquantel is used to treat Tapeworms.

Wonderful information I will keep that in mind. She seems to be fine. No chicks are showing signs of distress and they all run around eating and drinking this evening. So seems ok at the moment.

Thank you for the information. He didn’t mention parasites like worms and such. I’ll check it out.