Chick Poo Q's

[chucktownchick]

I am new to raising chicks. I got two this afternoon (around 1 PM). It is now 7 PM and I can't see that either of them has pooed. I checked their hineys and they seemed fine. Should I be concerned that I'm not seeing poop yet? I was expecting them to be pooing all over the place. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I am new to raising chicks. I got two this afternoon (around 1 PM). It is now 7 PM and I can't see that either of them has pooed. I checked their hineys and they seemed fine. Should I be concerned that I'm not seeing poop yet? I was expecting them to be pooing all over the place. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Welcome to BYC!
How old are the chicks you got and how are you housing them? Are they eating and drinking and being active? Very small/young chicks can expel waste that easily gets mixed into the bedding fairly quickly and can go unnoticed - if you have bedding in their enclosure it might help to put down paper towels for a couple of hours and get a better idea of if they are passing waste or not.

 

[chucktownchick]

They are a few days old. I have seen them eat and drink, but not a lot.They have had times of activity, but I've also seen them sleeping. The way they lay scared me at first. From what I've read online, that is normal for little chicks. I will follow your recommendation and watch them closely. Thank you so much. I just want to make sure they are okay.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They technically have not eaten until you got them, if you got them from a hatchery, so poop will come as they eat more. The dead chick sleeping routine will scare me every time, I keep mine on paper towels for the first week so all poop can be observed well as well as helping their legs to develop some strength.

 

[chucktownchick]

We have poop! LOL! I feel better now. They are quiet which I hear means they are happy. I have my heat lamp at one end of the brooder so they can choose to be right under it and if it's too warm they have some space to get a little ways away from it too. When I check on them, they seem to know I am there. They get up and move around. I hear a few peeps but overall they are rather quiet.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Congratulations

 

[chucktownchick]

thank you