Chicks in MHP for a long time.

[Koggecritters]

I just got chicks this morning for the first time. I had my setup ready in advance. They have all been eating and drinking just fine and I've checked everyone's vent. They are now all in the MHP setup and have been in there quiet for several hours. I moved them into a different room and I think I freaked them out. Either that or they are resting quietly? I set up a small coop inside instead of a brooder box just to accommodate growth. There are 17 but several are going to a friend on Saturday.

 

[azygous]

That's normal. The chicks are stressed from being in transit. They will flop and sleep, hogging the heat for the first 24 hours.

To be on the safe side, I suggest treating them all with warm sugar water with Poultry Nutri-drench added. This way, it might head off problems with a few chicks becoming prostrate from the stress, and then it'd time for you to stress out worrying they might not pull through.

 

[Koggecritters]

Ok, good to know. They are coming out a couple at a time now. Thank you for your response. I've been in and out worrying about them. I have them a little egg yolk because that is what the hatchery advised after their long trip (and after they ate a good amount of starter feed first).

 

[azygous]

The sugar water will also raise their glucose levels and it can make a definite difference with any chick teetering on the brink of collapse. When that happens, it can be quite sudden. I strongly recommend the sugar water and Nutri-drench as an insurance policy. Yolk protein doesn't always work with a chick that's slow in metabolizing it's calories.

 

[Koggecritters]

Doing now . Thanks.

 

[keeper 1960]

how much sugar to water mix?

 

[Koggecritters]

My paperwork from hatchery said 1 teaspoonful per quart. Not sure if others agree?

 

[azygous]

About a half teaspoon of sugar to a fourth of a cup of warm water. You need to get maybe 1ml of the sugar water into the chick at a time, then repeat each hour until the chick shows signs of normal behavior.

The quart mixture is a preventative while the one I specify is therapeutic.

 

[tdan]

Could I dose their regular water this strong for the first fill or few? I've had great success with the TSC electrolyte in the first 3 water fillings.

It seems this might have better results, but I would just like to add it to the water and leave it. not just deal with troubled chicks, if possible.

About a half teaspoon of sugar to a fourth of a cup of warm water. You need to get maybe 1ml of the sugar water into the chick at a time, then repeat each hour until the chick shows signs of normal behavior.

The quart mixture is a preventative while the one I specify is therapeutic.

 

[azygous]

That's an acceptable strategy for chicks that aren't obviously in a prostrate state, and for those, the hatchery recommended dose is adequate.

By prostrate, I mean lying down much more than they are active, droopy eyes, wings drooping and not held tight to their sides, not steady on their feet, and not drinking on their own. For a chick in serious trouble, it needs a quick infusion of glucose directly into the beak.