Baby Chicks - Sticking Feet in Water

[yakmayar]

Good Afternoon.

My wife and I just picked up our first ever batch of chicks from the post office a few hours ago. We ordered 3 black australorp, 3 buff orpington, 5 splash silkie, and 5 white silkie from Cackle Hatchery. They were all alive and looked pretty good when I got them from the post office. They were shipped yesterday morning and arrived today around noon, so thankfully they weren't in transit too long and they have warm weather here in NC. Additionally, they sent 4 extra silkies.

We have a nice area set up from them and are using the heating pad system. We dipped their beaks in the water source upon arrival, as instructed. They seem to be eating well, drinking well, and crawling in and out from the heating pad.

I had to head back to work after getting them situated, but my wife is keeping an eye on them for the rest of the day. She has noticed that the white silkies enjoy putting a foot in the water and will walk around with it in there. Besides getting the water dirty and having to clean it out, is there a reason for this behavior. Is this something we need to worry about? It looks funny and they seem happy, but we are fairly uneducated since we are new to this. I did not see anything about this in the couple books I've read about raising chicks, so wanted to be safe and ask. I have a picture, but am unable to share it at my current location.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Good Afternoon.

My wife and I just picked up our first ever batch of chicks from the post office a few hours ago. We ordered 3 black australorp, 3 buff orpington, 5 splash silkie, and 5 white silkie from Cackle Hatchery. They were all alive and looked pretty good when I got them from the post office. They were shipped yesterday morning and arrived today around noon, so thankfully they weren't in transit too long and they have warm weather here in NC. Additionally, they sent 4 extra silkies.

We have a nice area set up from them and are using the heating pad system. We dipped their beaks in the water source upon arrival, as instructed. They seem to be eating well, drinking well, and crawling in and out from the heating pad.

I had to head back to work after getting them situated, but my wife is keeping an eye on them for the rest of the day. She has noticed that the white silkies enjoy putting a foot in the water and will walk around with it in there. Besides getting the water dirty and having to clean it out, is there a reason for this behavior. Is this something we need to worry about? It looks funny and they seem happy, but we are fairly uneducated since we are new to this. I did not see anything about this in the couple books I've read about raising chicks, so wanted to be safe and ask. I have a picture, but am unable to share it at my current location.

Its not going to hurt anything, but you can add marbles or washed rocks about marble side in the waterer so they can drink between them but keep their feet out.

 

[azygous]

Do you have their water in a saucer or other open container? Chicks shouldn't be able to stand in the water if you are using a chick water bottle.

If you are using a chick water bottle, try elevating it on some two by fours. Or better yet, hang it. Instructions on "how to hang a chick water bottle" can be readily found by entering the phrase in the search at the top of this page.

You really do not want your chicks to become wet. It can cause an evaporation effect and wet chicks can die from hypothermia.

 

[yakmayar]

Thanks for the information. Just got home. Here is a picture of what they were doing this afternoon.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Thanks for the information. Just got home. Here is a picture of what they were doing this afternoon.

Add some marbles or rocks

 

[chickens really]

I put my water up on a brick or 2x4s......it stays cleaner and then they hop up for a drink and not walk in it......

So cute!


Best wishes!


Cheers!

 

[aart]

Haha..cute pic!

I'd both put some marbles/clean stones in and raise it up on bricks or blocks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea why your chicks are doing that. In hot weather adult chickens will sometimes stand in water to cool off but those chicks certainly don’t look hot. I’d just put that down to sometimes chick TV is better than anything on cable, satellite, or antenna. They just do weird things.

Chickens just have no manners. If they are in a nest laying an egg or a broody incubating eggs they instinctively know they should not poop in the nest, but anything else and any other time is fair game for pooping. In food and water in no exception. Due to the life cycle of certain diseases or parasites, if they are pooping in the water it needs to be dumped out at least every two days as a minimum with every day obviously better. Fresh clean water is important. If they can at all, they will poop in it.

I don’t use that type of waterer anymore. I switched to a rubber bowl which I fill with rocks so they don’t drown when they walk in it. They do walk in it and get their feet wet but their body and down generally stays pretty dry. I’ve never had a problem with a chick getting wet and having a problem because of that. My brooder is dry and one end is always warm, wet feet just isn’t a problem. But I agree, you do not want the down to get wet. Personally I don’t see anything for you to worry about from wet feet.

 

[yakmayar]

After the first day, the chicks did not do it again. As an additional precaution and to help keep pine chips/poop out of it, we followed some advice and put it on top of a couple bricks. They can reach it fine, but have not been kicking stuff up into the dish.

We have been replacing the water/cleaning it out twice a day. It has been between 30-50 degrees outside in the mornings and evenings, so I've been making sure that the water is staying warm.

They are growing fast!

 

[debid]

Thanks for the information. Just got home. Here is a picture of what they were doing this afternoon.

Now that's hilarious! Maybe they have species identity issues and feel like they should have been ducks.