baby chick in trouble

[Merrymouse]

@Pats Poultry Thank you

Yes, I hope this thread will help others if they find themselves in a similar situation.

 

[Kellycbf]

Glad she is better.

 

[eggbert420]

 

[Merrymouse]

So the chick is still doing well so tonight right when the other chicks were settling into sleep for the night I took the smallest chick and put it in with the "sick" chick for company. But that chick would not settle down. It was peeping loudly and was very stressed out so I put it back with its flock and then the sick chick was peeping and carrying on so I just stuck her in with all the other chicks. One big chick pecked her but not a mean peck just a "who are you" type of peck then she went under the MHP and got on top of the biggest chick and I thought thats great all tucked in. So I waited a bit to be sure and then there was the regular shuffling around that they do every night and sick chick ends up coming out of the low end of the MHP and cannot find her way back in. Peeping and carrying on. So I pick her up and put her back towards the front. She goes under, shuffle, shuffle shuffle then pops back out the side and cant find her way back in so I gave up and put her back to her own brooder. I will try again on Weds when I dont have to work so I can watch her better. I thought maybe night time would be a good time because they are all tired and would wake up with her there and just think she was part of the flock. But Ill have to try again. Any suggestions? She is still not 100% normal chick but she is much better. She still kind of walks in left sided circles sometimes but she's eating, drinking, trying to fly and never falls over any more. Im hoping to get all my chicks out into the coop by the end of the week. Thanks

 

[TalkALittle]

Rearrange everything in the main brooder so it looks different. Put only the little chick in there. Put all the other chicks in her brooder. Leave her in there alone long enough to get her bearings and find where the food and water is. Then start adding chicks back into the main brooder one at a time. Since you have two heating pads, you may consider putting them both in the main brooder just for the first 24 hours (providing there is room). The chicks should spread themselves between the two heating pads at night and there will be less jockeying for position under each.

 

[TalkALittle]

Oh, and you should expect each of the chicks to feel a little stress when you start moving them to the empty brooder. Don't be too quick to move them back or to move them in larger groups because you are worried about them. It's that stress and desire to flock with others that you're hoping to capitalize on in order to get them to accept the little one. You want those first couple chicks to go through the process of thinking "OMG! Where did all my friends go? Oh, who are you? I don't know you, but being with you is better than being alone. Now you are my friend, too!" Then you add more chicks and they go through the same thing.

The stress/fear makes the instinct to flock override the instinct to establish a pecking order. Some pecking order stuff will still happen, but will hopefully be lessened because they will be more apt to see her as having been part of the flock all along rather than as the new girl.

 

[aart]

Ditto @TalkALittle ......Chick(en) Juggling!

Night time can work, but day time with distractions and observation might be better.

 

[Merrymouse]

@TalkALittle Thank you, this sounds like a good plan and makes perfect sense. Hmm, I think Ill have to drag up another big dog crate from the basement as the sick chick is just in a rather small cardboard box the big girls will kill each other in there. Unless I can do it within a few hours and maybe being crowded will make them easier to move them back to the big brooder. So one question can I do this over a couple hours or is is more like one chick added, wait several hours or overnight or can I add a chick wait say 30 minutes or so then add another? Sick chick is peeping very very loudly now. She's tired of being alone and feeling better and letting everyone know. I worked my crazy shifts the last couple days so she was probably peeping away then too.

I think I can manage the two MHPs also but Ill take out the dirt/dust bath to make more room.

 

[aart]

I'd go with 30 minutes to several hours.....if you see trouble, change something up.

 

[TalkALittle]

If you've got the time to spread it out over an entire day, slower is better.