Help! Marvin Is Cold!!!

[belfair_chicken2]

OK so a couple of months ago our silkie hen hatched out some beautiful americana chicks from eggs we gave her. Mixed in with the new americana babies was something that dident look right. A tiny ball of black fluff about half the size of the other newborns. We relised that our hen had mananged to sneek one of her own eggs past us and hatch it out. The funny part is the only roo she had access to was the HUGE americana named "Big Clyde". So here is this very strange little chick who is half americana and half silkie. So we named it Marvin regardless of sex this is Marvin. OK so two months have past and Marvin is growing like a weed (actually he looks like a weed). But the last few days he has refused to get under his mom at night with the others. We try to put him under and he just gets out again and runs off. So now he must be brought in the house at night were he watches tv and gets passed around by the kids. When its time to put him out again in the day he peeps his head off and refuses to get under his mom even when she tries to sit on him. Ive never seen anything like this,he almost died from cold a few night ago. Thats when we started bring him in...So my question is can a chick reject its mother? Lulu is a good hen,very broody and she wants to take care of him...But he refuses her...its strange. Now we have a house chicken, any advice?

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
The larger chicks may be squashing him. Give him a heat lamp. Though, if he's two months old he shouldn't need it, really, unless it's SUPER cold where you are. (I just gave a heat lamp back to a five week old bird who was acting cold This bird has grown slowly and abnormally. Some would "cull" it but I'm not ready to do that as it doesn't seem to be suffering -- just isn't thriving.)

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
The larger chicks may be squashing him. Give him a heat lamp. Though, if he's two months old he shouldn't need it, really, unless it's SUPER cold where you are. (I just gave a heat lamp back to a five week old bird who was acting cold This bird has grown slowly and abnormally. Some would "cull" it but I'm not ready to do that as it doesn't seem to be suffering -- just isn't thriving.)

Keep on with your little chick Rozzie - I have a chick of 19 weeks now and about 3 weeks back I took it to the Vet because she wouldn;t stand and was all fluffed up and weak. Well the Vet charged me £25 to tell me to kill her. Turned out she has a curve in her breast bone so I had to do my own research on how to help her. I had to slow her growth and give her less Protien and more Vit B1 and Vit B2 - Yeah I am daft but I love her she is a darling so keep on with your chick!!!!!!!!

The little Silkie x - is probably getting squashed and pushed out by the bigger chicks. Yeah you have a house chicken for now!!!!!! keep it warm and make sure it feeds and give it infant vitamins WITHOUT IRON in its water.

Here is my wee chickie that didn;t thrive well

Oesdog

 

[belfair_chicken2]

You know I never thought of that,but it must be that the other chicks are pushing him out. Marvin eats and drinks and is very happy and active. He is happy to come in the house at night and its not terribly cold yet but he has a weird mix of feathers and silkie fluff. He is smaller then the others so he must be getting pushed around. I already have people who are offering to give him a home if he is a roo. If he is a hen then she will be kept but the name stays. But he is thriving and his crop is always full. He just gets cold all by himself so for now he is house chicken. Its so funny how many people want him if he is a roo just because he is different. My neighbor calls him "freak bird" but I think he is cute and he is ALWAYS peeping (even in his sleep). Its just sad because in the beginning he loved to be under mommy,he was always under her even when she was doing other things. Thanks for the advice and he is just a house chicken until he is mature.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Give him a heat lamp but also because he is alone give him a soft toy! With my babies I put a mummy Duck in which they cuddled up to. You say he would miss his mummy I am sure he will but this may make it a little easier. Sometimes you can get those toys with wheat bags inside that maintain heat for a bit just a thought! Oh we also had Sock beds! Two adult size socks tied together in a circle make great first nests!

Oesdog

 

[HyLinda]

Makes me think of Marvin the Martian:

 

[pgpoultry]

A toy will help, as will putting objects around her, but you may get treated as foster mum.
We have a singleton chick in a box by our Aga stove. She makes a tremendous racket whenever she is in the box, but contented cheepings as soon as she is out. She likes yo sit on my shoulder (well, better than a parrot). I'm turning into a full time mum to a ball of fluff.

How do the other chicks react to Marvin? She would be better to remain with them if they treat her like a buddy.(My 8 week olds have been left by mommaa nd spend their nights outside in a small box huddled together in a cosy heap.)

Sandie

 

[Rozzie]

For sure, Oesdog. Itsy Bitsy has been small from the start. It was small from hatch -- probably a slightly smaller egg, too. I'm hoping it will catch up down the road. (This is a button quail, so it never will get very big.) I'd say it's half the size of the chicks that are 2 and 5 days older. At a month I shouldn't be seeing quite that much difference. She gets tired more easily too. However, she is eating and drinking really well still. In fact, she's ALWAYS hungry. She eats like a little piglet. And, she's only in with one other chick (her hatch mate - a day or so older) so she isn't getting bullied or pushed away from food. I tried giving them yogurt yesterday. They thought I was nuts.

Oh, someone else mentioned the stuffed animals. My birds LOVE beanie babies...

It's a real riot watching quail babies push up under a beanie baby turkey.