Dying baby chicks......how to save them?

[chickengeorgeto]

... I do not live close to anywhere that sells chook feed so was wanting to grind some stuff up to feed it however am not sure what proteins/grains are suitable...

All chickens and by extension baby chicks are birds. Feed them pet bird seed until you can do better. Just make doubly sure that the mother hen can't get her face or feet into the baby's vittles because she will scatter them over all of Hades and the better half of Georgia. (Georgia is the largest province or state in the Eastern USA)

 

[ChickNanny13]

Well the chick's ok for at least 3 days, call around to any feed/pet stores. Not sure bird seeds would work, it's got a shell over it, you may want to try some baby bird feed? Not sure they have it in Australia, it's a pellet that you can wet into a mash. Maybe some baby food (human kind); veggies adding some boiled egg yolk?
Let's see if we can get some help from Australia/UK ... @Teila @rebrascora

 

[chickengeorgeto]

not sure exactly.....probably between 24-36hours

Chickens are not little atromotrons or robotic machines. Their every action or reactions are determined by hormones. When hens get in the mood to become mothers they sit tightly until it becomes obvious to even a dumb brute that their eggs are never going to hatch. If a hen hatches chicks on schedule she will (or should) remain glued to her nest for an additional 72 hours. Then there is a small change in her hormones and she leaves the nest to squire her brood around and in so doing teach them the chicken version of the facts of life. By poking eggs underneath a hen for a week or longer after incubation begins, or allowing other hens to add their eggs to the nest you have permitted Mother Nature to be "fowley" abused. This is just another one of the problems that a staggered hatch creates.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

PET PEEVE: It is incorrect to call a hen sitting on eggs a brood hen or a broody. She is a sitting hen. A sitting hen only becomes a brood hen after she has hatched out a brood of chicks for her to cover, brood, or squire around the walk or chicken yard.

 

[lena_]

Hello, nice to find a fellow new zealander on BYC! I feed new hatched ducklings on moist chicken pellets (that I've watered down) I haven't had chicks in a while, but if they're very weak try giving them some boiled egg yolk. Press your ear to the eggs, and see if you can hear cheeping. If you can't use a torch (I find a phone torch light works best) If you can see movement of any kind they're alive. If you want to, find the air cell and break a small hole in it if you can see the white membrane, there's probably a chick inside. It's very hot in northland (where I live) at the moment, so be careful of overheating the chicks. Take some pictures if possible, so it's easier to see we are dealing with here. Hope your chickies are all okay.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Supplement the Pet Bird Seed with rolled or "old fashion" DRY oatmeal in which a hard boiled egg has been coarsely mashed up. I am also very curious about what you are feeding the rest of your chickens. Can you not grind up or smash up a small amount of that to feed your chicks? The very best thing that a baby chick can drink is buttermilk or whey.

 

[nomirawr1]

<--- Another crazy kiwi...
Even though you're not 'near' any feed stores - I would be trying to get to your nearest for some chick starter. But for now, I'd go with the above idea of made up oatmeal (porridge + water) and boiled or scrambled egg(made with water, or nothing)

Anyway, if you have neighbours with chickens, they may have a bit of chick starter you can get started with?
Esp with the stupid hours things are closed over christmas/new year.

 

[Teila]

@JaeG Are you able to assist at all?

 

[JaeG]

There are lots of online places to purchase chick starter, though it may take awhile to get to you with the New Year public holidays coming up. Animates, has some or just search 'chick starter nz' on Google. I'm not sure about home made but there may be a recipe somewhere online. I'd stick with scrambled egg and maybe rolled oats.

Chicks need a higher protein feed and they should not have layers feed because of the high calcium content. Chicks will peck about when hungry so I would leave the chick until you see signs that it's hungry. Scatter food on the floor of your brooder and just leave the chick to rest under a heat lamp. When it's looking perkier you can tap at the food like a mother hen pecks at it to encourage it to have a taste. Tap the water surface too as that will show it where to drink. You'll need to use dry rolled oats or bird seed in the brooder as egg will spoil.

Sometimes they just don't recover from the hatching process or there's something wrong that we can't see. You can only do your best and try and save the poor little thing. Good luck.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They are under a 200W bulb. The eggs do not show any sign of hatching.....it has been about 24/25 days however the alive chick only hatched today so am wanting to wait a little longer before I discard them.
i am in New Zealand, we do not have 'Tractor Supply' here unfortunately. I was wondering if anyone knew of a DIY recipe......I do not live close to anywhere that sells chook feed so was wanting to grind some stuff up to feed it however am not sure what proteins/grains are suitable.
MAny thanks for your help.

@JaeG made great points.
Contrary to what was previously mentioned chicks may be baby birds but bird seed isn't really appropriate as a sole food. Even birds that become seed eaters when mature are usually fed insects and other bugs by their parents because of the need for high quality animal protein for growing bodies.
Chickens are omnivores and need complete proteins (essential amino acids) throughout life. You won't get that from seeds.
Albatross and penguins are birds but you wouldn't feed them seeds.

Scrambled or hard boiled egg is probably your best bet for an emergency chick feed.
If you're still at a loss, here are some ideas to help from home based feeding. Keep in mind that chicks have higher requirements for protein/amino acids than adults.
For one or two chicks, you can easily accomplish that with table scraps of finely diced fish or meat.
It will be essential the chicks get appropriate sized grit to aid the gizzard in grinding food.

http://www.avianaquamiser.com/posts/Recipes_for_homemade_starter_and_grower_chicken_feeds/
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding+from+Home+Resources.html
http://animalsciencey.ucdavis.edu/avian/feedingchickens.pdf
http://www.organicvaluerecovery.com/studies/studies_nutrient_content_of_insects.htm