4xhennifer
Chirping
- Apr 8, 2024
- 47
- 64
- 61
I saw another post on this a while back but it was difficult to determine whether there is a needed intervention other than providing supplemental nutrition. I've tried to pepper this with some levity to make it worth your while to read.. This is my second batch of baby chicks and like the other poster, the first flock did not have this issue. I received these chicks as newly hatched babies from Meyer Hatchery overnight (hatched 07-15-2024). They arrived in basically great condition and range in activity from very active to a little out of it. I realize this is to be expected from such a stressful journey. But.. I am a little frustrated with the following issues and am not sure if I need to do anything here beyond what I am already doing:
1. I have 4 girls who are all the same hatch age, but all different breeds. ALL of them prefer to forage for the food that falls into their bedding instead of eat at the feeder. They are constantly scratching the bedding. I had them on doggy pads the first day and then we went to hemp bedding once I was comfortable with their walking abilities. Ever since the hemp went down they are scratching in it, trying to eat it, and are having a gay ol time scratching around for the food that falls into it. The issue is a) can they actually eat this bedding? I haven't actually seen any pieces consumed though not for a lack of trying, and b) is the foraging something that is going to prohibit them from getting the full nutrition they need? I am currently providing vitamin water in one waterer and plain water in another.. they are drinking out of both of them like they just woke up from a late night at the club.
2. There is one little muffin that is worrying me the most. She is rarely at the feeder and when she is, she just sorta stands there looking off into space. I have seen her eat. I have seen her forage. She also drinks like she just escaped the sahara. BUT, she doesn't eat 1/10th of the other girls and she isn't as active or as sure of herself. My thinking is that her hatch day was likely the 15th for real and the other girls were probably the day before or even the day before that, and that maybe she is just trying to find herself. She is progressing in terms of size and activity, albeit slow on the latter. Her poop is perfectly fine. I tried giving the gro-gel and she had one bite and shook her head and that was the end of that. I tried pulverizing scrambled egg with her crumble to make a mash and they all looked at me like I was trying to poison them.
At this point, I am not sure I should be doing anything else other than what I am doing. Here is a quick video of Coco doing Coco things. She is the little yellow one. She can find the food (yes I gave them as many dang feeder holes as I had available at this point), but she justtttt sits there lol.
Am I just overreacting? Should I just go have a drink or a xanax and chill the f out? Or is there more I should be doing here? Thank you!!!!
1. I have 4 girls who are all the same hatch age, but all different breeds. ALL of them prefer to forage for the food that falls into their bedding instead of eat at the feeder. They are constantly scratching the bedding. I had them on doggy pads the first day and then we went to hemp bedding once I was comfortable with their walking abilities. Ever since the hemp went down they are scratching in it, trying to eat it, and are having a gay ol time scratching around for the food that falls into it. The issue is a) can they actually eat this bedding? I haven't actually seen any pieces consumed though not for a lack of trying, and b) is the foraging something that is going to prohibit them from getting the full nutrition they need? I am currently providing vitamin water in one waterer and plain water in another.. they are drinking out of both of them like they just woke up from a late night at the club.
2. There is one little muffin that is worrying me the most. She is rarely at the feeder and when she is, she just sorta stands there looking off into space. I have seen her eat. I have seen her forage. She also drinks like she just escaped the sahara. BUT, she doesn't eat 1/10th of the other girls and she isn't as active or as sure of herself. My thinking is that her hatch day was likely the 15th for real and the other girls were probably the day before or even the day before that, and that maybe she is just trying to find herself. She is progressing in terms of size and activity, albeit slow on the latter. Her poop is perfectly fine. I tried giving the gro-gel and she had one bite and shook her head and that was the end of that. I tried pulverizing scrambled egg with her crumble to make a mash and they all looked at me like I was trying to poison them.
At this point, I am not sure I should be doing anything else other than what I am doing. Here is a quick video of Coco doing Coco things. She is the little yellow one. She can find the food (yes I gave them as many dang feeder holes as I had available at this point), but she justtttt sits there lol.
Am I just overreacting? Should I just go have a drink or a xanax and chill the f out? Or is there more I should be doing here? Thank you!!!!
