chick will not stand up

[CrazyChickMom]

I gave them yogurt morning and night for 3 days. They were sick and I was taking the advice of someone on here.

Perhaps you can answer some other questions I have in general:

Should I check all of their vents?
Why is one of my silver laced polsih losing feathers at 6 weeks?
Now that they are feeling better, can I give them some melon?

Sorry I am real dumb when it comes to the chicken thing. New at this.

 

[threehorses]

I think the yogurt got them started, but you won't need to do it as often now. Yes, you should check vents. Honestly, you don't have to specifically look at them if they're healthy. But any bird that's anything less than healthy should be checked everywhere thoroughly and daily.

By the way, are you feeding medicated feed? Or start and grow? What're they eating again? And no - don't feed them melon until they're well. You'll just panic when it looks like they have diaarrhea.

On the feather loss, how much feather is she losing? Do you have other chickens? If so, have you checked these birds carefully for nearly-microscopic mites and lice? Check especially around their vents - bugs like the warmth and moisture there.

Are they all feeling better? I'm a bit confused as you said one's not doing well, or you seem to be asking stuff like they're not well? What exactly are they doing now?

By the way, before you ever put them outside or give them anything other than crumbles, make sure they have a source of grit. For that reason, I'll let my chicks onto some play-sand or a grassless area first to pick about before ever letting them anywhere near grass. That way you don't get impacted crops (a full crop at the front of the bird that doesn't empty overnight).

New does not equal dumb. It just means you haven't been through all the crap that the rest of us have. lol But you'll get there - oh yes you will.

Chickens will make sure of that!

 

[CrazyChickMom]

Quote:
I have not given them any yogurt yet today..maybe tonight? But they all seem to be doing good right now. Even the sick one is better. i put him back with the others.

I have not given them medicated chick starter until they got sick. Now I mix it in with the non=medicated stuff just so that they don't get something different all at once.

They are running and trying to fly. I have given them grit. I am new to the impacted crop thing too so I will have to check that out as well.

I have taken them off the Corid and I have been adding vitamins to their water. The lady that I bought them from said "no vitamins" and "no medicated chick starter". I'll never do that again. Too risky if you ask me.

The feathers are...one here and there. I have 18 birds in all. I'll check out that vent

!

Also, a couple look like they are yawning but it's more of a "throw up" action. Not sure what that means. They are on wood shavings.

 

[threehorses]

The yawning is problem them opening up their ear passages. A lot of people panic and think that the birds have gapeworm when they do that. They'll thrust their head forward, mouth wide open, and at the end of the thurst they really open their mouth the most - yes kinda like a severe dry heave. That's how they open up their ear canal if they're itchy. Again, I'd check for mites. Especially if they shake their head much. That being said, they're also getting pinfeathers in. They'll get them in their ear openings and they itch. My babies are also losing a feather here or there. That's normal. Losing feathers to the point of thinning would not be.

On the vitamins, I really don't like vitaminized water at all. I only use it with a distress birds, and then mostly for the electrolytes or to cover my bases in case my food wasn't fresh and something degraded. Added vitamins are usually mostlly unnecessary in a healthy flock if the food is fresh, stored correctly, and the correct formulation for their age. Sometimes if birds are stressed you can give more like the a/d/e/ combination. But otherwise vitamin packages often contain sugar and can help grow bacteria in their water.

If I ever give vitamin boosters to healthy non-stressed birds, it's usually in the form of a wet-mash treat combined with probiotics so that I know they all got it, one didn't get a ton and overdose, and that it was quick so that the vitamins didn't degrade.

Mini rant: the vitamins that birds need most and that most quickly degrade in their food, A, D, E, are the ones that are oil based and they degrade even more quickly in water in the light of a waterer.

Go figure. Rant over.

As for the yogurt, I wouldn't even bother giving it tonight. But I'm glad they're back on the medicated starter. It really does help the first couple of months. After that, their gut bacteria are established and they're in bigger areas with less exposure to the wet conditions and poop exposure that encourage coccidiosis.

By the way, don't you love the little flying bit? I call that Chicken Airplane.

They try to take off, bless them. They must be feeling pretty good!

 

[CrazyChickMom]

Thank you for reassuring me about the "yawning". I feel much better! I think I will save the vitamins until severe cold weather or if one gets ill. I'm with you on the vitamins. I will eventually transfer them over completely to the medicated chick feed. Right now I am doing 1/3 med to 2/3 non-med.

I've always wanted chickens...I had no idea how much I'd love them. And yes I love the flying bit! They crack me up!

Thanks so much for giving me all of this information...I needed it! Tracy

 

[threehorses]

I love your caution on changing food quickly. You know, in some animals, it takes a month for the bacteria to totally adjust to a food change?

Chickens are more resilient, but giving beginning systems a chance to adjust is always a sound bet.

Oh you just wait - you're in for a lot of joy with the babies. They're absolutely comical!