chick doesn't eat; sluggish

[lvarque]

I found a hatchling yesterday (literally--she was sitting on my boot when I looked down). He (okay, she) lives in an aquarium and I immediately bought her a watering bowl and a 5# bag of medicated crumbles. The chick was probably being mailed to a chicken farmer from the breeder with a bunch of others but somehow escaped and found me. She has a light for warmth and I even got her a fuzzy toy to nest in, where she spends a lot of her time. How long will it take before she starts to eat? I'm sure she was stressed when I brought her home due to the inordinant amount of cheeping that went on. She's much quieter today and the bird loves being held (everybody holds her) because she closes her eyes and goes to sleep for up to an hour. I can't remember the breed but Waxahatchie has been identified as an Easter Egg layin' chicken. I didn't intend to become a chicken rancher and still don't. After Waxahatchie shows signs of thriving she'll go to a chicken farm that has high standards and won't raise her for Sunday dinner. I just feel all life is precious and will do whatever it takes to protect it. I just worrry a lot.

PS: I don't do computers very well so if you have an answer please email me at [email protected] because I'll probably never figure out how to get back to this page.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Dip her beak in the water and sprinkle the crumbles on the floor of the aquarium. Peck at them with your hand to show her how to eat. If you don't see her drinking I'd dip her beak every hour or so until she perks up.

If she is lethargic you can add sugar to the water. Here is a chick care page which covers temperature range for new chicks also. Make sure you have it warm enough - it helps if you have a thermometer.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chickcare.html
there is a super stressed sugar water recipe if you scroll down