Chicks Not Drinking!

[Buster098]

This may be sound silly as they are still very young but my chicks are just over a day old and they havent started drinking at all yet, well not as far as I know anyway. Is this a cause for concern? My mum has quail and she says I need to dip their beaks in the water like she did for them to show them what it is but they dont like it when I do that and they still dont drink. Is there any other ways any of you may know to get them drinking or will they figure it out themselves? Thanks!

 

[Judy]

You might try: dip your finger in the water then tough the tip of the beak, moisten may a tsp of feed to a porridge consistency and put that out on a small plate, set a saucer of water in there -- shallow, that they cannot drown in. They'll eventually get the idea, really.

 

[Buster098]

I'll try moist food then just so they have some liquid. Ive been dipping my finger in the water and touching their beaks aswell some have bit at the droplets but thats it.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Your mum is right. Hold the chick with your hand over it's back, dip the beak and then straighten it up. It should move it's beak a bit to get the drop of water in.

 

[speckledhen]

Is it just fresh water or do you have an electrolyte mix in there? Many hate the taste of that stuff. Sometimes, it just takes a couple days for them to get the hang of it.

 

[oberhaslikid]

I place colored marbles in the water tray.They cant help to peck at them to see what they are and find the water this way.