are my baby chicks depressed or sick or both?

[emmakate]

No problem. I'm not sure about the rate of healthy chickens that your breeder puts out but if the chicks don't improve I would talk to them about it.

ok i definitely will

 

[Audrey Watson]

ok i definitely will

Good luck!

 

[feathermaid]

i got them from a breeder 5 minutes from my house. my older chicks are free range outside and the babies are in a brooder. i haven’t introduced them yet i’m scared the older ones will peck at the babies.

Are the older chicks from the same breeder?
Best to not introduce them yet anyway because you don't know what the littles are suffering from yet... don't want it to be contagious.

I would contact the breeder. They should know what going on with the chicks they're selling, maybe there's an issue they're not aware of yet.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

i got them from a breeder 5 minutes from my house. my older chicks are free range outside and the babies are in a brooder. i haven’t introduced them yet i’m scared the older ones will peck at the babies.

They will, so it is wise not to put them together.

 

[chrissynemetz]

Also if you're feeding them anything other than chick starter you might want to offer them chick grit as well

 

[emmakate]

They were probably already sick when you got them. Like what was said above, where did you get them? Store? Mail order from a hatchery? Did you hatch your own?
The cracked beak is probably an issue, but since the other one is acting like this too it's not going to be the only thing causing a problem. Try feeding them some yogurt for added probiotics. Make sure they are getting enough heat, food and water. Maybe try making a mash(wet the food) like what was also said above. Also, make sure they're not dehydrated, that could be a huge issue.
Good luck!

would coconut or almond milk yogurt work or does it need to be cow milk yogurt?

 

[emmakate]

Good luck!

thank you!

 

[emmakate]

Also if you're feeding them anything other than chick starter you might want to offer them chick grit as well

ok thanks sm

 

[emmakate]

Are the older chicks from the same breeder?
Best to not introduce them yet anyway because you don't know what the littles are suffering from yet... don't want it to be contagious.

I would contact the breeder. They should know what going on with the chicks they're selling, maybe there's an issue they're not aware of yet.

i got the older ones from tsc. i don’t know if they did anything different but they were perfectly healthy and happy. i will make sure to call the breeder and see if he knows anything. thank you!

 

[feathermaid]

i got the older ones from tsc. i don’t know if they did anything different but they were perfectly healthy and happy. i will make sure to call the breeder and see if he knows anything. thank you!

TSC and most other farm stores get their chicks from hatcheries. Hatcheries practice very strict biosecurity and chicks are hatched in sterile environments, so there's little to no risk that chicks are ever exposed to any type of disease. Some breeders practice good biosecurity, but many don't and claim they've never had a problem. Hopefully your chicks are just from a weak hatch. You may want to read these articles just in case:
Biosecurity for the Rest of Us
The Essential Quarantine
I personally don't find it necessary to quarantine chicks from hatcheries or feed stores.

chrissynemetz makes a good point about the grit. All chickens need grit or rocks to digest their food as they don't have the same digestive enzymes mammals do. Chick feed is made to be water soluble, but grit must be available if any other treats (grains, bugs, fruit & veggie scraps) are given. Impacted crop could be an issue. I've never had to deal with that so I'm not very familiar. Free range birds usually find their own grit while foraging.