3-week old chick not gaining weight

[NurtureThyme]

I have a 3-week old Cochin chick who's not steadily gaining weight. She lost her flock mate this week and seems to cry all day long. We got her a buddy and they are doing well together. I put out food and they don't touch it. I put water on it to make it more mash consistency and they go crazy but don't seem to gain any weight so I am not sure they're actually eating. So I just put out the regular chick starter crumble and once again happy chirps and they're going to town on it. I'll weight them after and check their crop but the on-going theme is they get excited and "eat" but crops don't get filled and then the crying ensues. HELP!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good on you for weighing the chicks.
What are you feeding specifically? Brand, protein % and mill date?
What is the brooder setup?

 

[NurtureThyme]

Good on you for weighing the chicks.
What are you feeding specifically? Brand, protein % and mill date?
What is the brooder setup?

King Brand chick start & grow crumbles 20% crude protein, and I cannot find the Mill Date on the packaging. It is medicated.

Brooder is in my bedroom and they have a heat plate to go to for warmth and the brooder remains mostly at 85 degrees where the plate is at 95. It's clean with ample space. Water contains vitamins and minerals and ACV. Stools have been somewhat normal though today she had one runny poop. She had pasty butt when we got her and took care of it but all her butt feathers were missing and are slowly coming back. I've been using coconut oil around her vent to prevent any more pasting.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

King Brand chick start & grow crumbles 20% crude protein, and I cannot find the Mill Date on the packaging. It is medicated.

Brooder is in my bedroom and they have a heat plate to go to for warmth and the brooder remains mostly at 85 degrees where the plate is at 95. It's clean with ample space. Water contains vitamins and minerals and ACV. Stools have been somewhat normal though today she had one runny poop. She had pasty butt when we got her and took care of it but all her butt feathers were missing and are slowly coming back. I've been using coconut oil around her vent to prevent any more pasting.

The mill date is sometimes printed plainly on the guaranteed analysis tag. Sometimes it is on there as a Julian date. Sometimes it is printed on the seal at the end of the bag. But it is there somewhere. You can call the manufacturer and they will tell you how to decipher the date. Here's their number, (831) 385-4377.
Not all feed stores are good about rotating stock. I've seen feed in a store that was 2 years old. Not good.

I might try a probiotic. There is one I ascribe to called Gro2Max. It helps them utilize nutrients and fights pasted vent.

https://gro2max.com/

 

[NurtureThyme]

The mill date is sometimes printed plainly on the guaranteed analysis tag. Sometimes it is on there as a Julian date. Sometimes it is printed on the seal at the end of the bag. But it is there somewhere. You can call the manufacturer and they will tell you how to decipher the date. Here's their number, (831) 385-4377.
Not all feed stores are good about rotating stock. I've seen feed in a store that was 2 years old. Not good.

I might try a probiotic. There is one I ascribe to called Gro2Max. It helps them utilize nutrients and fights pasted vent.

https://gro2max.com/

Thank you so much! Probiotic on the way. We adjusted a red light high above the brooder just now and her high pitch cry has settled some. So with probiotic, adjusted brooder, and a lot of prayers we'll get through this until the next hurdle hits us.