baby-blue
Songster
- Mar 21, 2019
- 234
- 543
- 151
Hello all! I’m new to the forum and new to chickens, but I’ve been learning as much as I possibly can. I’ve had guinea keets before - I currently have 8 new-ish keets who are from 10-18 days old, as well as the adults that free range. When picking up the new keets, though, I fell head-over-heels for a silkie chick at the feed store. Cut to about a week later, at a different feed store, and I was picking up four little nuggets (am I allowed to call them that?). I had only planned on three, but one little one had been run over by the other chicks and one of her wings and one of her legs were in rough shape. She passed that evening, surrounded by the other little ones. Another little chick passed away yesterday. He was weak the entire time we had him and failure to thrive is what I believe took him. He gave up on even raw yolk and huddled up to a heater right before he passed.
Left with only two, I went back to the feed store to get two - MAYBE three - more.
As luck would have it, I got eight more. Whoops..
They’re all bantams, but aside from one of them, I’m stumped on breeds. One is a lovely little lavender silkie who has earned the nickname Squeaky Toy because that’s exactly how she sounds. The rest have baffled me, and I’m pretty sure they’re all just good ol’ mutts. One seems like a silkie (black skin, five toes), but his legs are bare and he’s not very fuzzy. I’ll be posting pictures for sure! Any help on breed guessing would be awesome. They are all bantams as well.
All of them aside from the two original ones (Kevin and Fabio) got some nutri-drench last night on the ends of their beaks. Two loved it, the rest screamed bloody murder. They’re on medicated chick starter. Their water is untreated well water (I read that untreated is best - correct me if I’m wrong!) with powdered sugar, electrolytes, and probiotics added. I put a tinge of nutri-drench in it last night. They all seem pretty stable and the two original ones (Fabio and Kevin) adore them. I am concerned about some of their poops, though, and one of the chicks in particular. He does have some slight pasty butt that I’ve been cleaning off, but when I went to pick him up, he spit up some water and he gasped a little bit. I know this isn’t good. He had been drinking a few moments before I picked him up - could me picking him up too quickly be the cause of the spit-up? I set him down on the table for a moment while getting some quick pictures and he ‘pooped’ out some clear yellowish liquid. Again, I know this isn’t good. What should I be doing to remedy it? He’s strong and very feisty and I’d like to keep that spirit up. Sorry about all of the questions and rambling - I just adore these little ones! I’ve hand-raised dozens of animals before since I am the manager and co-owner of an animal sanctuary. I’ve bottle fed and hand raised almost everything, from deformed guinea pigs to orphaned foals. I’ve never dealt with birds, aside from the guineas, though. Any additional pointers or help would be awesome! Thank you all!
I may have to admit that this one is my favorite. He is the spunkiest and most curious little thing! His colors are stunning, too. He was a nervous wreck on the ride home until I held him on my chest - he curled up and fell fast asleep with his darling little toes to his chest. He’s been being called Cinna/Cinnamon to see if it might just stick!
This poor little love didn’t appreciate the photo shoot very much. She’s one of the quieter ones, too. I’m hoping she’s a Wyandotte because I love the laced look!
I have a feeling this one might be a Polish? He has quite the crown! He’s a stubborn little thing and likes to hang out with the ‘big kids’ on top of their heaters.
This little sweetheart is nicknamed Taylor, after Taylor Swift. He was super shaky the whole ride home, and, I mean.. Shake It Off. He’s tiny and has feathered legs, and his back is a lovely blue-black color.
I’m not too sure about this one’s breed, my best guess is a silkie mix. He’s got the black skin and extra toes, but he’s not half as fluffy as the other silkies and he has clean legs.
This teeny man is the water-pooper. He’s one of the smaller ones of the group. As you can see, though, he’s very proud of himself!
We’ve been calling this one Nutmeg, just trying to see if it’ll stick. He has feathered legs and absolutely gorgeous coloring.
This is the little lavender silkie - possibly a splash with the yellowing? Her nicknames vary from Purple Butt to Squeaky Toy.
This is Fabio - I’m guessing he’s a silkie with all of his elegant little tufts and his pretty little extra toes. He’s very assertive about cuddles and he will happily snuggle with one of the littler ones to their content. He’s dubbed the nanny for a reason!
This is Kevin, and yes, he’s named after the bird from Up. He’s a long-legged chatterbox and it fits better than anything else!
Left with only two, I went back to the feed store to get two - MAYBE three - more.
As luck would have it, I got eight more. Whoops..
They’re all bantams, but aside from one of them, I’m stumped on breeds. One is a lovely little lavender silkie who has earned the nickname Squeaky Toy because that’s exactly how she sounds. The rest have baffled me, and I’m pretty sure they’re all just good ol’ mutts. One seems like a silkie (black skin, five toes), but his legs are bare and he’s not very fuzzy. I’ll be posting pictures for sure! Any help on breed guessing would be awesome. They are all bantams as well.
All of them aside from the two original ones (Kevin and Fabio) got some nutri-drench last night on the ends of their beaks. Two loved it, the rest screamed bloody murder. They’re on medicated chick starter. Their water is untreated well water (I read that untreated is best - correct me if I’m wrong!) with powdered sugar, electrolytes, and probiotics added. I put a tinge of nutri-drench in it last night. They all seem pretty stable and the two original ones (Fabio and Kevin) adore them. I am concerned about some of their poops, though, and one of the chicks in particular. He does have some slight pasty butt that I’ve been cleaning off, but when I went to pick him up, he spit up some water and he gasped a little bit. I know this isn’t good. He had been drinking a few moments before I picked him up - could me picking him up too quickly be the cause of the spit-up? I set him down on the table for a moment while getting some quick pictures and he ‘pooped’ out some clear yellowish liquid. Again, I know this isn’t good. What should I be doing to remedy it? He’s strong and very feisty and I’d like to keep that spirit up. Sorry about all of the questions and rambling - I just adore these little ones! I’ve hand-raised dozens of animals before since I am the manager and co-owner of an animal sanctuary. I’ve bottle fed and hand raised almost everything, from deformed guinea pigs to orphaned foals. I’ve never dealt with birds, aside from the guineas, though. Any additional pointers or help would be awesome! Thank you all!
I may have to admit that this one is my favorite. He is the spunkiest and most curious little thing! His colors are stunning, too. He was a nervous wreck on the ride home until I held him on my chest - he curled up and fell fast asleep with his darling little toes to his chest. He’s been being called Cinna/Cinnamon to see if it might just stick!
This poor little love didn’t appreciate the photo shoot very much. She’s one of the quieter ones, too. I’m hoping she’s a Wyandotte because I love the laced look!
I have a feeling this one might be a Polish? He has quite the crown! He’s a stubborn little thing and likes to hang out with the ‘big kids’ on top of their heaters.
This little sweetheart is nicknamed Taylor, after Taylor Swift. He was super shaky the whole ride home, and, I mean.. Shake It Off. He’s tiny and has feathered legs, and his back is a lovely blue-black color.
I’m not too sure about this one’s breed, my best guess is a silkie mix. He’s got the black skin and extra toes, but he’s not half as fluffy as the other silkies and he has clean legs.
This teeny man is the water-pooper. He’s one of the smaller ones of the group. As you can see, though, he’s very proud of himself!
We’ve been calling this one Nutmeg, just trying to see if it’ll stick. He has feathered legs and absolutely gorgeous coloring.
This is the little lavender silkie - possibly a splash with the yellowing? Her nicknames vary from Purple Butt to Squeaky Toy.
This is Fabio - I’m guessing he’s a silkie with all of his elegant little tufts and his pretty little extra toes. He’s very assertive about cuddles and he will happily snuggle with one of the littler ones to their content. He’s dubbed the nanny for a reason!
This is Kevin, and yes, he’s named after the bird from Up. He’s a long-legged chatterbox and it fits better than anything else!
