Bored/Not Curious Chicks

[PearlaMae123]

my 2 five week old EE chicks aren’t very curious. they don’t eat much of the treats and new things we put i their brooder. they mainly sleep. we have them on coccidiosis meds to be safe, but they don’t like exploring at all? what can i give them that they would enjoy?

 

[lazy gardener]

Welcome to BYC. Is there a reason why they are not in their coop and run? At 5 weeks, they could be settled into their coop/run and busy doing chicken things. If you are concerned about them being cold, you could give them a wool hen or a huddle box. My chicks wean themselves off their MHP by the age of 4 - 5 weeks. They are brooded in an unheated coop with night time temps down to freezing.

Do you have them on medicated feed, or Corid?

 

[lazy gardener]

How long have you had them on the Corid? Were they actually sick? Unless they have the need for it, I would not keep them on it. Forgive if I've misinterpreted your post. Many of us have found that it's much easier to integrate chicks into a flock than waiting until the birds are equal in size to the adults.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Chicks under 8 weeks don't need treats. Most younger birds are hesitant. Only having 2 is probably part of the problem. Chicks are braver in mobs, or when they have a mother chicken showing them the ropes. As they sexually mature at around 5 months they will grow more inquisitive, and be more willing to try new foods. Generally a mother hen would show them what's good to eat and where it's safe to go.

 

[PearlaMae123]

Welcome to BYC. Is there a reason why they are not in their coop and run? At 5 weeks, they could be settled into their coop/run and busy doing chicken things. If you are concerned about them being cold, you could give them a wool hen or a huddle box. My chicks wean themselves off their MHP by the age of 4 - 5 weeks. They are brooded in an unheated coop with night time temps down to freezing.
We didn't get more than 2 because we don't have enough coop space.
Do you have them on medicated feed, or Corid?

we have 3 other adult chickens and we are slowly introducing them. they are quite a bit smaller than the other chickens so we're worried about bullying etc. They don't use a heat light anymore. They have a huddle box. We have them on both medicated feed and corid.

Chicks under 8 weeks don't need treats. Most younger birds are hesitant. Only having 2 is probably part of the problem. Chicks are braver in mobs, or when they have a mother chicken showing them the ropes. As they sexually mature at around 5 months they will grow more inquisitive, and be more willing to try new foods. Generally a mother hen would show them what's good to eat and where it's safe to go.

 

[PearlaMae123]

How long have you had them on the Corid? Were they actually sick? Unless they have the need for it, I would not keep them on it. Forgive if I've misinterpreted your post. Many of us have found that it's much easier to integrate chicks into a flock than waiting until the birds are equal in size to the adults.

we have had them on corid for 2 days. we had speculations about coccidiosis. the chicks haven’t actually met the adults yet, but we are getting them used to the outside.