Do You Hear the Chickens, Clarice?

[TheGreatChickening]

I don't know where to start. I am inept, so that's probably a good foundation. If there are aliens capable of visiting, but hesitant to do so, my ineptitude may be a contributing factor to their position.

I have 12 day old Rhode Island Reds. They were very sweet in the beginning. We gently scooped them up and snuggled them in our hands. They nestled into our palms and adorably nodded off - their cute puffy eyelids meeting strangely together. Our endeavors at attachment were eventually met with what, I assume, was their grateful response of massive defecations on our unprepared, bare epidermis.

Now anytime any of us reaches into the brooder, they run screaming from us and make an awkward dog pile of terrified baby chickens in the corner. I assume this is because I washed them a lot whenever they laid down because (1) I was afraid they were sick with pasty butt, and (2) I didn't know baby chicks nap during the day. What I am calling "washed them" they likely consider some bizarre form of Bible Belt Chicken Water Torture. I am fairly certain our empathetic beagle agrees with them; he is very protective of any species in distress and always ran in to silently judge me when the washings were afoot.

Also, I didn't know you were supposed to dry them off before returning them to the brooder, so they were doubly accosted by my best intentions. As an aside, hairdrying their posteriors on low seems to initiate bowel movements. As a further aside, one of the chicks stands in the corner, back to her sisters, with her head bowed as if in shame, while staccato chirping loudly like a silver gym whistle until her bowels are evacuated. Also, I literally watched one defecate on her sister's face; I laughed uproariously which also sent them screaming into the feather dogpile. And perpetuated more beagley silent judgement. *sigh*

I have digressed long enough. My assumption has been that their soundless laying about the brooder willy nilly is truly their version of napping. I have attached a pic (I hope) of what it looks like. I left the screen cover on for the picture because if I move it, more terror and anguish and silent beagle judgery. We still have no heat lamp, but do have the plate. I am cheaper than a rusty tin can in a junk yard, so the a.c. is always set to 77. It is a tad warmer than that in the kitchen which faces west. I hope I am contributing to their survival rather than being The Thing They Are Surviving.

 

[MadGardener]

Your title is brilliant, and the content of this thread had been a great read. As a fellow judgy dog owner, ***** would read again.

A top opening brooder is terrifying. If you can stick your hand down to the floor and then reach across it helps a little.

What's their next enclosure like? I brooded outdoors this spring and being able to get closer to the chicks' level really helps. 2 out of my 10 are still terrified. At 12 weeks, the rest think I'm some sort of magical playground equipment that just might have food. And tasty hair apparently.

Get the ladies outside, and wear a long shirt because if your pants waistband sticks out there will be poo a-tumblin down eventually.

 

[Sapphire Sebright]

For future reference:
Chicks nap a lot when they're little; they'll huddle together in a bundle of fluff and snooze for a while before zooming around in a hyperactive fit until they tucker themselves out again and repeat the napping process.
Unless the chick has a lump of poop blocking their vent, there shouldn't be much of a worry.
In the event that the chick does have pasty butt, use a warm, damp washcloth to soften and wipe away the blockage -- never get chicks any more wet than they have to be in order to clean them off. Rub them gently with a dry cloth to dry them off a little before you put them back in the brooder, and once you've returned them to their siblings, leave them alone for a while to relax.
Chicks will also dust bathe after a week or two -- they lay down in their bedding or whatever loose material they're on, burrow down a little, and start shaking their wings and body to throw whatever they're laying in over themselves. This is natural, and is part of how chickens keep themselves free of parasites, so don't worry when the little ones just slump on their side and start vibrating.
Move slowly when trying to handle your chicks. Whatever direction you come at them from, move slowly, and use both hands if you need to. Also, do not make any loud noises -- this will spook them and send them running away from whatever made the sound, be it you or something else.
Once they're old enough, you can try giving them treats sparingly to help them become more comfortable with you. First, toss the treats to them so that they can determine whether or not they like it (my birds love sunflower seeds, cracked corn, berries such as blueberries and strawberries, and sliced fruits such as apples and pears; do not give them citrus), and when you next give them those treats, sit down and hold them out in your hand. Be patient, and maybe sprinkle some on the ground beneath your hand to encourage your girls to come over.
Spend time with them -- you don't need to handle them, and if their fears stem from rough handling (even if it was unintentional and done with good intentions), maybe it would be best to not handle them for a while unless necessary.
Given time, they'll likely mellow out a bit, but gentleness is extremely important when handling tiny baby birds of any kind. Be patient, gentle, and quiet with them, and with the odd hand-fed treat, they'll likely be much calmer around you by the time they grow up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree, well written.

Many people are upset when they see them laying around looking dead. They do look dead, but it is just sleep. I have a 14-year-old dog that sleeps like that but is a lot harder to wake up. If something comes at them from the sky, they think it is a hawk coming to eat them. You will eventually tame them, especially if you stop coming at them from on high, with patience and food. Food can work wonders but it may take a little while. They are probably not using that heat plate much. At that age and those temperatures they should not need any extra heat.

If they are still alive at 12 days you are doing something right.

 

[TheGreatChickening]

Your title is brilliant, and the content of this thread had been a great read. As a fellow judgy dog owner, ***** would read again.

A top opening brooder is terrifying. If you can stick your hand down to the floor and then reach across it helps a little.

What's their next enclosure like? I brooded outdoors this spring and being able to get closer to the chicks' level really helps. 2 out of my 10 are still terrified. At 12 weeks, the rest think I'm some sort of magical playground equipment that just might have food. And tasty hair apparently.

Get the ladies outside, and wear a long shirt because if your pants waistband sticks out there will be poo a-tumblin down eventually.

I did not even think of a way to enter the brooder from the side! What an awesome idea! I can't wait to give that a try! The graduated enclosure for this particular group is a room built into the garage and a fairly large run (32x24). Hopefully that will be good for them.

Thank you for the note on the waistbands. So many tricks to these little guys that I am grateful to learn. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

 

[TheGreatChickening]

For future reference:
Chicks nap a lot when they're little; they'll huddle together in a bundle of fluff and snooze for a while before zooming around in a hyperactive fit until they tucker themselves out again and repeat the napping process.
Unless the chick has a lump of poop blocking their vent, there shouldn't be much of a worry.
In the event that the chick does have pasty butt, use a warm, damp washcloth to soften and wipe away the blockage -- never get chicks any more wet than they have to be in order to clean them off. Rub them gently with a dry cloth to dry them off a little before you put them back in the brooder, and once you've returned them to their siblings, leave them alone for a while to relax.
Chicks will also dust bathe after a week or two -- they lay down in their bedding or whatever loose material they're on, burrow down a little, and start shaking their wings and body to throw whatever they're laying in over themselves. This is natural, and is part of how chickens keep themselves free of parasites, so don't worry when the little ones just slump on their side and start vibrating.
Move slowly when trying to handle your chicks. Whatever direction you come at them from, move slowly, and use both hands if you need to. Also, do not make any loud noises -- this will spook them and send them running away from whatever made the sound, be it you or something else.
Once they're old enough, you can try giving them treats sparingly to help them become more comfortable with you. First, toss the treats to them so that they can determine whether or not they like it (my birds love sunflower seeds, cracked corn, berries such as blueberries and strawberries, and sliced fruits such as apples and pears; do not give them citrus), and when you next give them those treats, sit down and hold them out in your hand. Be patient, and maybe sprinkle some on the ground beneath your hand to encourage your girls to come over.
Spend time with them -- you don't need to handle them, and if their fears stem from rough handling (even if it was unintentional and done with good intentions), maybe it would be best to not handle them for a while unless necessary.
Given time, they'll likely mellow out a bit, but gentleness is extremely important when handling tiny baby birds of any kind. Be patient, gentle, and quiet with them, and with the odd hand-fed treat, they'll likely be much calmer around you by the time they grow up.

Thank you for laying out how to properly interact with them. Sweet mercy! I have bungled this terrifically. I appreciate the time you took to share how to properly engage. We will definitely let them be for a while. I can't wait to try the treats whem they've relaxed a little.

 

[TheGreatChickening]

I agree, well written.

Many people are upset when they see them laying around looking dead. They do look dead, but it is just sleep. I have a 14-year-old dog that sleeps like that but is a lot harder to wake up. If something comes at them from the sky, they think it is a hawk coming to eat them. You will eventually tame them, especially if you stop coming at them from on high, with patience and food. Food can work wonders but it may take a little while. They are probably not using that heat plate much. At that age and those temperatures they should not need any extra heat.

If they are still alive at 12 days you are doing something right.

"if they are still alive after 12 days you are doing something right" had me laughing out loud. My husband has literally been praying that I don't kill them, so I assume it is something beyond my capacities. They definitely are not usingthe heat plate much, which I was wondering about with the house temperature. Thank you for taking the time to share insight. I very much appreciate it.

 

[Chickassan]

Did you ever have any human children?
I'm so very curious.

 

[Stacaroni]

I don't know where to start. I am inept, so that's probably a good foundation. If there are aliens capable of visiting, but hesitant to do so, my ineptitude may be a contributing factor to their position.

I have 12 day old Rhode Island Reds. They were very sweet in the beginning. We gently scooped them up and snuggled them in our hands. They nestled into our palms and adorably nodded off - their cute puffy eyelids meeting strangely together. Our endeavors at attachment were eventually met with what, I assume, was their grateful response of massive defecations on our unprepared, bare epidermis.

Now anytime any of us reaches into the brooder, they run screaming from us and make an awkward dog pile of terrified baby chickens in the corner. I assume this is because I washed them a lot whenever they laid down because (1) I was afraid they were sick with pasty butt, and (2) I didn't know baby chicks nap during the day. What I am calling "washed them" they likely consider some bizarre form of Bible Belt Chicken Water Torture. I am fairly certain our empathetic beagle agrees with them; he is very protective of any species in distress and always ran in to silently judge me when the washings were afoot.

Also, I didn't know you were supposed to dry them off before returning them to the brooder, so they were doubly accosted by my best intentions. As an aside, hairdrying their posteriors on low seems to initiate bowel movements. As a further aside, one of the chicks stands in the corner, back to her sisters, with her head bowed as if in shame, while staccato chirping loudly like a silver gym whistle until her bowels are evacuated. Also, I literally watched one defecate on her sister's face; I laughed uproariously which also sent them screaming into the feather dogpile. And perpetuated more beagley silent judgement. *sigh*

I have digressed long enough. My assumption has been that their soundless laying about the brooder willy nilly is truly their version of napping. I have attached a pic (I hope) of what it looks like. I left the screen cover on for the picture because if I move it, more terror and anguish and silent beagle judgery. We still have no heat lamp, but do have the plate. I am cheaper than a rusty tin can in a junk yard, so the a.c. is always set to 77. It is a tad warmer than that in the kitchen which faces west. I hope I am contributing to their survival rather than being The Thing They Are Surviving.

This is one of the best things I've ever read.

Be careful what you wish for. My experience with little ones was similar. They became quite panicky (despite brooder side entry) and it was very upsetting.

In the early weeks, they were residing in our guest room because we have cats. At about the three week mark, inspired by advice found on BYC, I decided to just hang out with them a couple of times day. Granted, I have an excess of time on my hands so that wasn't an issue. I threw a sheet on the floor and let them out of the brooder for 30-60 minutes morning and evening. I sat on the floor and offered them a small amount of crushed meal worms (grit was available). It wasn't long before their curiosity and desire for treats overcame their fear. They would climb all over me and deposit their packages of thanks everywhere.

My girls are now 9 weeks old and have moved into their own home. They are always excited to see me or, more likely, what I might be bringing them. I often sit in the run and give them a little bit of something tasty. After they've eaten, they will visit me in ones and twos. Their offerings are fewer but more substantial and creatively placed.

The drawback to their friendliness is that their affections frequently take the form of minor injuries to myself. This is probably due, in part, to the fact that I have not set clear boundaries with them. In the last two weeks, I have been loved up to the point that I am seriously considering having a set of chicken proof armor constructed. At a minimum, eye protection is required for social visits.

Best wishes with your flock!

 

[Iluveggers]

I think wet mash has been a savior to get chicks running toward my hands. Wet mash is just regular chick feed soaked to moist with water. I put it in a tiny flat Tupperware the first time I give it, the second time I hold the Tupperware and don’t move my hand or arm at all. Usually by the 3rd or 4th time they all come running when they see my hand enter, and I can start feeding it out of my hand. During this time I am careful not to pick them up at all, and if they jump on my hand or arm when eating I do not move. Yours might be a bit more traumatized from all the cleanings, but I bet after a week or so they will get the hang of it.

Other treats should only be given in moderation, and if they have anything besides chick starter they will need chick grit to help with digesting. I usually hold off on other treats until they are at least 4 weeks old.