I had 4 chicks hatch about a week ago, but after about 3 days the first one died. No obvious reasons, no injuries, etc. After really checking over the others, I realized that their crops weren't full the way I thought they should be. So after talking to the guy I got the eggs from, I learned a couple of tricks. While the chicks seemed to be eating - they were steady pecking and drinking water, the starter was just too big for them to really eat. He suggested crumbling it up as much as possible. So I put some in a ziplock bag and pounded it with a hammer until it was not much more than dust. After doing that I noticed they seemed to drop a lot less from their beaks. He also suggested adding a bit of water to the feed (without crushing it) until it softened. They love it! Between those two things the other chicks are thriving and eating great, their crops nice a full! They should start being able to eat the larger pieces in the next week or 2 but until then I will continue with what I am doing.
Just thought there are others who may benefit from these tips.
Just thought there are others who may benefit from these tips.
