Chicks that wont eat chick starter!

Ohh eek!
Was it by any chance just the regular small development waste that all hatched eggs have?
If it was definitely an unusual green slime, that sounds like a bad infection. Or maybe a decomposing twin who passed very early (suggesting this because blood products turn green).

Let's ask @Debbie292d if this could be mushy chick syndrome? I have no familiarity with that.

Sugar water: Prescribed amounts are all over the place. It's hard to get wrong, just add enough (dissolved) that the water will taste sweet and give them some quick energy. But not more sugar than water, like that scene in MIIB with the bug pretending to be a human, lol.
It helps to dissolve the sugar if the water is hot, but just like feeding a baby you should always check the temp is just warm before offering it. Cold water (and cold mash) can chill them down fast.

Grit: I offer it free choice in a separate dish. I don't sprinkle it on the feed because I don't want them to swallow too much while trying to eat.
Some folks express concern that young chicks may confuse grit with their regular feed and eat too much. I have never had that problem. But to hedge bets, you can try limiting the amount offered to a fish food strategy (add some, watch them devour it, add some more or let your instincts say when it's enough. Sorry I can't be more precise. I just let them decide. But I do check for scary looking long, jagged pieces.y different worry that has also never proved a problem. When they haven't had grit before they tend to get pretty excited to eat their inedible pebbles.
I believe in Aus they call it something different than Grit on the package. If you don't already have some. Just make sure it's insoluble rocks, like granite or similar. Not a calcium product like Oyster Shell, Coral, or Limestone (a soluble rock). I think it was northern Europe where they call that Grit 🤔
And yes, they can have it even when their feed does not require it.

B complex: It was good not to overdo it. Unfortunately I don't know the proper dosing or upper threshold for chicks. But as with other vitamins, you could try an on-again/off-again schedule... that helps the body purge excess. Something like 2 days off as a minimum, maybe 2-3 days on. (Disclaimer - I'm guessing loosely)

If someone has the proper dosing information then you wouldn't need to do that, but you would have to weigh him and do math (the hard part).
It is the same B complex as for humans.

Outlook timeline: I usually start to hope more when they show a marked improvement. Little improvements can be encouraging but if they show a big leap forward it's usually a sign they will recover.
From a chick I would be looking for good signs like running around in play rather than stress (wing flapping, trying to get a desired treat like a bug that flew in from another chick playing keep-away)... Eating enthusiastically and pooping a lot. Good feather development on the torso.
For bad signs... continued issues with temperature regulation. If they won't leave the heat area at all it if they still act cold even with extra accomodations to keep a really warm spot that the others can't stand.
Other concerning signs include persistent chittering sounds as if they want to be cheeping in complaint but don't have the energy to voice it loud. Inability to keep their eyes open. Difficulty standing or keeping balance. Letting their heads fall into uncomfortable positions while they sleep, including shavings poking the eye area, covering the nares, or twisting the neck.
Okay, making this list made me realize how many chickens I've watched slowly weaken and die (or need to be put down by my helper). Nevermind this part, let's look for the good signs!
In all honesty, I have never noticed small development waste in any of the chicks I have hatched, so it could of been, but it also could have been something else by the smell of it, it wasn't pleasant - which is what made me think it might have been a bacterial issue. Is it common for a single egg to produce 2 chicks? This, I have never heard of. Thats interesting to know. If that is a possibility it could very well have been that, if a twin dies early on and is left to decay in the egg does that then affect the surviving twin possibly?

I would be very interested in knowing what mushy chick syndrome is if @Debbie292d could shed some light on that.

Got you on the Grit! We call it grit here in Aus too but I think it contains one or more of the ingredients you listed that it shouldn't be. Would grinding up the egg shells work the same for grit?

On again, off again is exactly what I have been doing. Prob not to that ratio though so that is good to know. I did crush up a B complex tablet and just added a sprinkle of that to his water. The other problem is I dont know if he was getting enough compared to getting too much. I reckon he wouldn't even register on the scale he is so tiny.

He makes some noises but nothing I would consider worrying, he kind of just sleeps and make little cheeping sounds but nothing alarming, other times he will chirp his little lungs off. His eyes are always open, and he seems to be pooing fine. I have him on paper towel not on shavings as he was still a little unsteady on his feet, but he walks around the box fine on the paper towel. He tends to come out fine whwn he wants to eat or drink but he will always be more comfortable in the warmth, could this be because he doesn't really have any fluff and some parts of his skin is exposed and he is just cold? Hard to tell. I have been scrambling his eggs just today and he seems to be more interested in that then the watered down soup version which I feel is a good sign at this point. In the very beginning he would always sleep standing up, stood up to sleep for the first 2 or 3 nights then I noticed him starting to lay down to sleep so now he sleeps normally. Again, in the beginning he was VERY wobbly, but he seems to have found his balance now. Unless he wants to scratch on one foot he is a bit stumbly.

Yes it definitely sounds like this isn't your first rodeo! But I love and appreciate that you can share your advice for others who might be going through the same thing.
 
Let's ask @Debbie292d if this could be mushy chick syndrome? I have no familiarity with that.
I have hatched thousands of silkie eggs. In the beginning, they were all hens, but over half that many were hatched this past year in incubators. Never have I seen mushy chick syndrome, and it's apparently quite rare, as I frequent the hatching and ER forums nearly daily and have only seen it once.

Here's a great article that explains what it is though. I just reread it and it does sound by the description I'm now hearing, that there was green slime in the egg, this is a distinct possibility. Especially when you said initially it wouldn't eat and just wanted heat.

If it is, however, now eating, continuing to drink, and seeming "normal," that it may catch up or maybe never will, but either way, it could be a normal chicken.
 
I have hatched thousands of silkie eggs. In the beginning, they were all hens, but over half that many were hatched this past year in incubators. Never have I seen mushy chick syndrome, and it's apparently quite rare, as I frequent the hatching and ER forums nearly daily and have only seen it once.

Here's a great article that explains what it is though. I just reread it and it does sound by the description I'm now hearing, that there was green slime in the egg, this is a distinct possibility. Especially when you said initially it wouldn't eat and just wanted heat.

If it is, however, now eating, continuing to drink, and seeming "normal," that it may catch up or maybe never will, but either way, it could be a normal chicken.
@Debbie292d, that was a very informative read! Thank you! I feel it could be mushy chick syndrome in the way that he was off food and he has the need to be warm CONSTANTLY! But his navel and everything else looks to be OK. In saying that sometimes I notice what looks like a clear bubble next to his neck but only sometimes so I wonder if this is his crop, but I always thought the crop was lower than that.

He is eating and drinking has never been an issue for him, he has always drunk. I feel like he has come along way since he was born so that can only give me hope that he might just make it. I have a feeling he wont ever be the same as his siblings but if we can make it there I'd be pretty happy with that!
 
Hey Fam,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on a chick that wont eat chick starter. Over a week ago I had a chick hatch in the breech position, after an assisted hatching and putting him back in the incubator to dry off, it is very noticeable that he is VERY small compared to his counterparts. This little chick enjoys being warm CONSTANTLY but my issue is his eating. He will drink water fine but when offered chick starter he just flat out refuses to eat it. I have blended up egg yolk and some water to make for him to eat and he will nibble a little but nothing I feel would fill his crop and I also feel this can not be a constant feed for him. Plus he wont eat unless I spoon feed it to him 🤦‍♀️Have I started something i shouldnt have started?!

Does anyone have any advice on what I should do here 🤷‍♀️ Will he eat chick starter in his own time? Do I just keep up with egg yolk and can he have it raw or do I cook it (Ive been cooking it)? I have seen some post about syringe feeding him, how do I know if this is the right thing to do? He is just SOOOO little!!

Any and all advice welcome.
Thanks ✌🏼
Poor little guy breech chicks can take longer to get going so you not done anything wrong.
Keep offering chick starter (you can moisten or crumble it very fine) and if he is drinking and active many do start eating on their own with a bit more time.
 
Poor little guy breech chicks can take longer to get going so you not done anything wrong.
Keep offering chick starter (you can moisten or crumble it very fine) and if he is drinking and active many do start eating on their own with a bit more time.
Thanks Olivia11.

He is definitely taking his time to get going, but I know that feeling 😅. I did scatter some chick started in the bottom of his box and I have a shallow dish with moistened starter so he can make his own choices.

Yes, I believe this is just a waiting game at this point.
 
I had two that sounds similar to this out of hatches this spring. One was from my own pens and one was from shipped eggs, so possibly an incubation thing, they were separate hatches too, maybe 6 to 8 weeks apart.

They would just lay under the heat, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, they'd get up and move a few steps and lay back down. It was like they didn't have that innate urge to eat. I syringe Poultry Cell into them twice a day, just a little, and I'd try to force feed them a little mash but that didn't really do any good, they were not very cooperative.

After a few days with the first one I set it next to the mash bowl and just gently pushed it's beak down into the feed and it took off earing like it was starved :confused: once it finished it just wandered off, and never came back, so, I repeated this 3 or 4 times over that day and the next. As it seemed to "forget" about eating still, then one day I saw it finally notice the other chicks eating and it came running over and dove in. No issues after that! It caught up with it's hatchmates.

The second one was harder, it took a few weeks of continually giving it Poultry Cell, Nutridrench, and taking it to the feed and poking its beak in. It just laid around all the time, then, same as the other one, one day it just parked up and turned normal. Craziest thing I've seen in chicks.

I haven't hatched as many as Debbie but I'm probably around 500 chicks and its the first time I've had this happen.
 
I had a chick with what I suspect was a mild case of omphalitis earlier this year. She hatched with a ruptured yolk, so higher risk of infection and of course she was already weak and skinny from not absorbing it all. She wanted to keep up with the others but she was weak and tired and always cold, and even when she eventually got the idea about pecking at food she rarely managed to eat any. I fed her egg yolk and/or mash every couple of hours at first (tube fed but you don't need an actual tube at that age, just a small oral syringe) and she slept under my chin or up against the side of my neck for almost a week because I was doing night feeds just to try and get enough calories in her to give her the chance to recover. I think it was day 5 when I brought her hatch mates back from a trip outside and she brought herself out from the heat plate and even joined in with eating some scrambled egg. She still looked like death warmed up for a few months after that. She's seven months old now and looks like a normal, healthy chicken - the only thing "wrong" with her is how grumpy and antisocial she is compared to the others!
 
I had two that sounds similar to this out of hatches this spring. One was from my own pens and one was from shipped eggs, so possibly an incubation thing, they were separate hatches too, maybe 6 to 8 weeks apart.

They would just lay under the heat, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, they'd get up and move a few steps and lay back down. It was like they didn't have that innate urge to eat. I syringe Poultry Cell into them twice a day, just a little, and I'd try to force feed them a little mash but that didn't really do any good, they were not very cooperative.

After a few days with the first one I set it next to the mash bowl and just gently pushed it's beak down into the feed and it took off earing like it was starved :confused: once it finished it just wandered off, and never came back, so, I repeated this 3 or 4 times over that day and the next. As it seemed to "forget" about eating still, then one day I saw it finally notice the other chicks eating and it came running over and dove in. No issues after that! It caught up with it's hatchmates.

The second one was harder, it took a few weeks of continually giving it Poultry Cell, Nutridrench, and taking it to the feed and poking its beak in. It just laid around all the time, then, same as the other one, one day it just parked up and turned normal. Craziest thing I've seen in chicks.

I haven't hatched as many as Debbie but I'm probably around 500 chicks and its the first time I've had this happen.
Hi 2ndTink,

I feel this one is very similar, just doesn't have the urge to eat, would prefer to just lay under the heat and stay there all day.

Upon great advice from the chicken fam, I have given him some starter in mash form but also sprinkled some on the floor so he can decide, if any, which one he wants to eat but maybe showing him time and time again, is the step I am missing. I feel like when I give him water, I have to show him where it is every time, its like he forgets but when he finds it, he has no trouble drinking. This was my thinking when I put him with his ESB, if tiny can watch him eat and drink then maybe he will follow suit.

I'm happy to hear though that your chicks ended up catching up to their flock mates. This is my hope for this teeny little boy too!!
I had two that sounds similar to this out of hatches this spring. One was from my own pens and one was from shipped eggs, so possibly an incubation thing, they were separate hatches too, maybe 6 to 8 weeks apart.

They would just lay under the heat, wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, they'd get up and move a few steps and lay back down. It was like they didn't have that innate urge to eat. I syringe Poultry Cell into them twice a day, just a little, and I'd try to force feed them a little mash but that didn't really do any good, they were not very cooperative.

After a few days with the first one I set it next to the mash bowl and just gently pushed it's beak down into the feed and it took off earing like it was starved :confused: once it finished it just wandered off, and never came back, so, I repeated this 3 or 4 times over that day and the next. As it seemed to "forget" about eating still, then one day I saw it finally notice the other chicks eating and it came running over and dove in. No issues after that! It caught up with it's hatchmates.

The second one was harder, it took a few weeks of continually giving it Poultry Cell, Nutridrench, and taking it to the feed and poking its beak in. It just laid around all the time, then, same as the other one, one day it just parked up and turned normal. Craziest thing I've seen in chicks.

I haven't hatched as many as Debbie but I'm probably around 500 chicks and its the first time I've had this happen.
Hi 2ndTink,

Yes, I did wonder if it was an incubation issue, but I dont think I will ever really know.

It's so wonderful that they both made a great recovery. Chickens are funny little things in they way they work. So resilient and such fighters!
 
I had a chick with what I suspect was a mild case of omphalitis earlier this year. She hatched with a ruptured yolk, so higher risk of infection and of course she was already weak and skinny from not absorbing it all. She wanted to keep up with the others but she was weak and tired and always cold, and even when she eventually got the idea about pecking at food she rarely managed to eat any. I fed her egg yolk and/or mash every couple of hours at first (tube fed but you don't need an actual tube at that age, just a small oral syringe) and she slept under my chin or up against the side of my neck for almost a week because I was doing night feeds just to try and get enough calories in her to give her the chance to recover. I think it was day 5 when I brought her hatch mates back from a trip outside and she brought herself out from the heat plate and even joined in with eating some scrambled egg. She still looked like death warmed up for a few months after that. She's seven months old now and looks like a normal, healthy chicken - the only thing "wrong" with her is how grumpy and antisocial she is compared to the others!
Hi Kattabelly,

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that! How do you think he contracted Omphalitis? I'm not 100% sure this is what my guy has but it absolutely could be a possibility after reading the article Deb sent to me.

I wonder if this is why this little guy is so small because he wasn't able to absorb the yolk 🤷‍♀️ although I didnt notice anything like a yolk in the egg or on his body. This little guy was in the incubator a little while before he was picked up trying to hatch so it could have dried up in that time. This little guy is weak too, has no interested in food today or water for that matter. He is CONSTANTLY looking for warmth. I wish I was more experienced with syringe feeding, I'm unsure what to feed them and how to do it safely, how do I know that I'm not overfeeding or underfeeding him? And do I need to look at night feeding him also?

Wow, how wonderful that she made it through her ordeal! What makes her different, also makes her special! I am happy she was able to go on to be a normal healthy girl!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom