chicks arent hungry

[amydzek]

my new chicks arent hungry... they eat some of their food but never all of it and they eat their feathers and they dont like treats!!! I dont know whats wrong with them!!! HELP!!! they do like yogurt and have tried cottage cheese... but thats it...

 

[LarryPQ]

Chicks will eat when they are hungry. As long as they are active and continue to thrive, then don't worry about it.

 

[Morning_Song]

It is about 2 days since you posted...did your birdies start eating or how is it going???
How do they sound??? Is it a contented sound or plantiff???

Hope everything is going well. I am interested especially since they are interested in yogurt. If they don't sound happy and aren't eating the feed then there is truly and issue to diagnose. IMHO

Hoping for the best...

 

[amydzek]

well they are ok... I gave them some new grit and they liked that, I also moved their water up on to a little stand and they are drinking more now! They are eating a bit better, I picked some greens for then and left them in their box and they ate them! I am hoping they will be ok but they just dont look great yet... the feathers are all chewed on...they didnt look very good when we picked them up but I couldnt leave them at the farm...they were sad and small...
I will keep you all posted!! Thanks!!

 

[Morning_Song]

That sounds like better news...

Once DH and I went to an auction (small animal and poultry). Somebody had hatched bunches of BR and RIR and they were selling them at day old but some were up to a week old. After a bit everyone that wanted that kind had bought some and there were still more auction lots of them. We bought 75 that day...hindsight is always 20/20.

These chicks of ours cried and wined and didn't eat well but seemed hungry. They seemed like 'needy' birds to us their whole life. Later when we started to hatch out our own chickens at home we realized that a great flock has a lot to do with what the breed stock was fed and how the chick is handled in the hatcher and the hours that follow the hatcher. There is feeds that are lacking in the nutrients that should be in the bag (the manufacturer meant to or did put in) that for reasons of heat or harvest issues is not as good as it should be when put into the layer flock.

Incidentally, I think we shredded fresh carrot into the brooders for these birds and it helped but that was not all they were lacking. I like that you started with the greens. Ours seemed to lack some nutrients at critical periods.

Hoping for continued good news!

Marj

(edited for some spelling errors ...watch your step there may be more

)

 

[Arielle]

Wishing the little ones good health!

Keep trying, you have the right ideas!