- Apr 27, 2010
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One of my little chicks died. I got them from the feed store Friday and I think they were a few days old then. This morning one of them was acting strangely. It kind of looked like it was chirping without sound or like a baby bird asking its mother for food. This video is from another post on the forum and it is NOT my chicken, but it looked similar:
It didn't seem interested in food and water. I tried to give it some water with a pipette, but I am not experienced and I don't think it got much at all. It would swallow the drops that I got in it, but it wouldn't go for the water itself. In the morning it was still quite strong, but it got worse during the day and just now I found it dead
Since I am a total newbie I am wondering if I did something wrong that I need to correct or if it was just one of those things (a genetic disease maybe?). I keep them in a box with newspaper in the bottom covered by pine shavings. They don't have much room, I am working on making them a bigger home that will also be safe from our cats, but it was never real dirty in there. I changed most of their pine shavings yesterday (not all I have to admit, but the ones I left in there *looked* clean) and gave them fresh water and food. I didn't fill the gallon waterer up since my two year old was "helping" me carry it. Thought it was still plenty, but this morning it was almost empty. It was still more than half way up in the drinking tray, but my first thought was that the chick was thirsty. The other three did indeed drink when I put in the new water, but not the sick one. They didn't seem overly thirsty, just took a few sips each. I am feeding them medicated chick starter only. I do not have a thermometer in the box, but I have a 125W heat lamp that I adjusted to a height where the chicks looks comfortable. They are under the lamp, but not huddling up. Am I doing something wrong?
My two year old does handle the birds. I try only to let her have them sit in her hand, but at times they did get some rough handling. Does it sound like an injury?
All input appreciated
It didn't seem interested in food and water. I tried to give it some water with a pipette, but I am not experienced and I don't think it got much at all. It would swallow the drops that I got in it, but it wouldn't go for the water itself. In the morning it was still quite strong, but it got worse during the day and just now I found it dead
Since I am a total newbie I am wondering if I did something wrong that I need to correct or if it was just one of those things (a genetic disease maybe?). I keep them in a box with newspaper in the bottom covered by pine shavings. They don't have much room, I am working on making them a bigger home that will also be safe from our cats, but it was never real dirty in there. I changed most of their pine shavings yesterday (not all I have to admit, but the ones I left in there *looked* clean) and gave them fresh water and food. I didn't fill the gallon waterer up since my two year old was "helping" me carry it. Thought it was still plenty, but this morning it was almost empty. It was still more than half way up in the drinking tray, but my first thought was that the chick was thirsty. The other three did indeed drink when I put in the new water, but not the sick one. They didn't seem overly thirsty, just took a few sips each. I am feeding them medicated chick starter only. I do not have a thermometer in the box, but I have a 125W heat lamp that I adjusted to a height where the chicks looks comfortable. They are under the lamp, but not huddling up. Am I doing something wrong?
My two year old does handle the birds. I try only to let her have them sit in her hand, but at times they did get some rough handling. Does it sound like an injury?
All input appreciated
