Baby Chicks Stop Eating and Drinking - Eyes Closed (6-7 Weeks)

[BlueBaby]

You are feeding the chicks uncooked rice??? That could be the problem. If you have to feed them rice, at least cook it! Uncooked rice is too hard for them to digest. Also, uncooked rice can cause them to swell up and pop after they eat it and then drink water!

 

[azygous]

You are feeding the chicks uncooked rice??? That could be the problem. If you have to feed them rice, at least cook it! Uncooked rice is too hard for them to digest. Also, uncooked rice can cause them to swell up and pop after they eat it and then drink water!

No. Please. Drinking water is not going to make these chicks swell up and explode. Water, and plenty of it, is what they need right now. It's a myth about birds eating uncooked rice and exploding.

 

[Pegasusi]

You are feeding the chicks uncooked rice??? That could be the problem. If you have to feed them rice, at least cook it! Uncooked rice is too hard for them to digest. Also, uncooked rice can cause them to swell up and pop after they eat it and then drink water!

^^^^ x 2

 

[Pegasusi]

I'm so sorry you lost one of your chicks. Hopefully the others will rebound. I am not saying that the uncooked rice could be the cause of the problems but an Avian Vet told me not to feed uncooked rice or dried legumes....both okay if cooked.

 

[azygous]

Baby chicks shouldn't have uncooked rice because their digestive systems are immature, and they may not be able to get enough grit to digest them. But other birds, as long as they eat angular stones for their gizzards, can eat uncooked rice, and they won't die. Dried beans would be pretty hard to digest for any bird or beast and shouldn't be fed. Sprouted beans are okay with grit.

The chicks in this thread didn't get any grit over the last two weeks so that's why they're now in trouble from eating the uncooked rice.

 

[chickens really]

Locate Chick starter....Sorry your struggling along with the Chicks...Set up something for them outside next to the Flock after they start improving ....

 

[Goma]

Just thought I give everyone an update. The 2nd chick which was a rooster died as well. I just had another revelation that it might be because they had about a third of an avocado. My wife didn't know it was poisonous to them when she fed it to them and nor did I. The 3rd and last chick seems to be perfectly fine though.

Thanks again for everyone's input. Learned a lot and appreciate the effort and care everyone has shown for these little critters.

 

[azygous]

One survivor. Let's be grateful for that.

As for the avocado, only the pit and skin are toxic, not the pulp. Eating the avocado didn't hurt your chicks. Lack of grit for digestion was the likely culprit.

 

[aart]

One survivor. Let's be grateful for that.

As for the avocado, only the pit and skin are toxic, not the pulp. Eating the avocado didn't hurt your chicks. Lack of grit for digestion was the likely culprit.

That and overall insufficient nutrition.