Chick backing up after drinking.

[Sic]

So, we're having a bit of an issue.

She now refuses the mash. Every other chick is happy to eat it, but they don't need the extra vitamins (especially the E). I'm going to need to force feed her the supplements. I did get liquid versions to make everything "easier".

How the heck to I hold her still??!! I do have success placing drops at the side of the beak, but she fights like the dickens. Should I wrap her up like a burrito? I'm so nervous that I'm going to hurt her. The bantams are ridiculously small.

Edited to add: She's doing great eating feed, but struggles A LOT to drink. We're trying to grab her first thing in the morning for mash, but she's just not having it. Wants the dry food from the feeder.

If she's eating the dry food and staying on track with weight I wouldn't force feed. Have you tried a different way of supplying water? I prefer the nipple waterers but my chickens prefer to drink from buckets, pools of water wherever they find them, and from our creek, they only drink from the nipple waterers when they are locked in their run and have no other options and seem very frustrated when doing so. The nipple waterers are not a natural way for them to drink.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I wouldn’t force feed her. Risks to great and we know so far she is maintaining weight.
You can put vitamins in the drinking water. Better to give them a choice of vitamin or non-vitamin water or to put the vitamin water out for only half the day.
You could keep giving mashed potatoes without vitamins. FOMO may make her go back to it if the others are eating it and then you can reintroduce the vitamins.

I probably shouldn't have said "force feed"; it would be more like a gentle coercion to take her medicine, but I get your point. I think B complex in the drinking water is the way to go for now. Any suggestions on the dilution rate per softgel? Their drinker is 32oz.

Of course, her siblings will get a lot more of it than she will. Drinking has been a huge challenge today, but we're trying to encourage her to keep trying.

 

[thecatumbrella]

If she's eating the dry food and staying on track with weight I wouldn't force feed. Have you tried a different way of supplying water? I prefer the nipple waterers but my chickens prefer to drink from buckets, pools of water wherever they find them, and from our creek, they only drink from the nipple waterers when they are locked in their run and have no other options and seem very frustrated when doing so. The nipple waterers are not a natural way for them to drink.

I went through every iteration of drinking option this morning, and she's failing at all of them (it triggers her to back up and shake her head) EXCEPT the traditional red cross nipple so long as the cross itself is preloaded. They're still a little too small to push the metal rod in fully, but if I sit there and do it for them, she actually drinks pretty well. Maybe because she's aiming straight ahead?

A bizarre twist because I also assumed open style would be best!

 

[RoyalChick]

I probably shouldn't have said "force feed"; it would be more like a gentle coercion to take her medicine, but I get your point. I think B complex in the drinking water is the way to go for now. Any suggestions on the dilution rate per softgel? Their drinker is 32oz.

Of course, her siblings will get a lot more of it than she will. Drinking has been a huge challenge today, but we're trying to encourage her to keep trying.

You could get fancy and try and calculate the concentration that a Sav-a-Chick sachet recommends - but honestly with just B vitamins which are so safe I would just go for a pale yellow color!
I definitely wouldn't force feed in the sense of pushing anything down her throat, but no harm in putting a dollop of mash on the side of her beak.
I don't know that it will help in this situation, but when chicks are slow to thrive people recommend beaten egg. I am not sure that it helps for you because she is eating food, just not mash - so probably not needed.
Does she back away from dry food too?
By the way, have you given them chick grit? I don't think this is an issue of digestion - but she will need grit soon so probably worth introducing it now and see what happens. It was on my mind because when I was worried about hydration (heatwave) I gave chicks some melon and watermelon which they loved, but you shouldn't give them until they have access to grit.

 

[Sic]

I went through every iteration of drinking option this morning, and she's failing at all of them (it triggers her to back up and shake her head) EXCEPT the traditional red cross nipple so long as the cross itself is preloaded. They're still a little too small to push the metal rod in fully, but if I sit there and do it for them, she actually drinks pretty well. Maybe because she's aiming straight ahead?

A bizarre twist because I also assumed open style would be best!

I've only used nipple waterers for chicks once, half of them ended up taking a shower so I had to remove it, dry them, etc. From your video your chick seemed to peck it from straight on, probably not knowing how it works, it's a learning experience. You'll have to go with what works for you, but you're not going to be able to preload it every time the chick needs to drink, my advice would be to have different options available. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with the chick, that's because I had one like that, that is now a older hen, she still uses reverse

 

[thecatumbrella]

Does she back away from dry food too?
By the way, have you given them chick grit?

She's been eating almost perfectly the last two days. Drinking has gone downhill and I can tell she's a little dehydrated.

The chicks got grit sprinkled on their food a couple times this week after being moved to pine shavings (because you know they'll eat what they can manage!)

Pale yellow water. Got it

 

[thecatumbrella]

I personally don't think there is anything wrong with the chick, that's because I had one like that, that is now a older hen, she still uses reverse

I really hope that's the end goal here! Then I can look back and wonder why I fussed over her so much

 

[Mother of Chaos]

...You could keep giving mashed potatoes without vitamins. FOMO may make her go back to it if the others are eating it and then you can reintroduce the vitamins.

Just checking - was this your phone's Autocorrupt at work?

 

[RoyalChick]

Just checking - was this your phone's Autocorrupt at work?

Good lord! My phone must be hungry.
I meant chick feed mash!

I have edited it so future readers aren’t confused. What a weird correction!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Good lord! My phone must be hungry.
I meant chick feed mash!

My next question would have been the ratio of b-complex to mashed potato.