I just got back from a week away. For some inexplicable reason, my housesitter neglected to fill up the smaller feeders. Three of the five pens were without food for some time (I don't know how long and am purely guessing based on behavior). The older chickens were hungry and rushed the food I put out, but they seem fine. The adolescents are the problem.
When I got in this morning I noticed something weird with the open top hanging feeder. When I got closer I realized that five of the half grown babies had crammed themselves in there. I immediately started pulling out limp bodies. The girl on the bottom was dead. The rest staggered around once I got them free. It looked like they had jumped in trying to get to the food that had gotten wet in all the rain and had stuck inside the hanging feeder. There was no other food in the either feeder. The adult chickens in there were hungry, but okay. All 17 of the babies looked horrible. I quickly put food out and most of them dove on it. The smushed five don't look good. All 17 look thin and scraggedly. I brought the worst three in the house and promptly started feeding them crumble mash, water, grapes (for sugar) and scrambled egg (for protein). Once I got those three going I brought grapes and scrambled egg out to the outside lot. I don't know what else to do. The inside three look a little better this afternoon, but all three inside girls are just standing in the cage with their feathers all fluffed out and their eyes closed. Every now and then they will eat some food or scratch around. Mostly they just stand there all fluffed out. The outside lot are kind of doing the same thing. When I left they were zipping about acting like normal half grown babies. They just don't look or act right now.
What else can I do to help?
When I got in this morning I noticed something weird with the open top hanging feeder. When I got closer I realized that five of the half grown babies had crammed themselves in there. I immediately started pulling out limp bodies. The girl on the bottom was dead. The rest staggered around once I got them free. It looked like they had jumped in trying to get to the food that had gotten wet in all the rain and had stuck inside the hanging feeder. There was no other food in the either feeder. The adult chickens in there were hungry, but okay. All 17 of the babies looked horrible. I quickly put food out and most of them dove on it. The smushed five don't look good. All 17 look thin and scraggedly. I brought the worst three in the house and promptly started feeding them crumble mash, water, grapes (for sugar) and scrambled egg (for protein). Once I got those three going I brought grapes and scrambled egg out to the outside lot. I don't know what else to do. The inside three look a little better this afternoon, but all three inside girls are just standing in the cage with their feathers all fluffed out and their eyes closed. Every now and then they will eat some food or scratch around. Mostly they just stand there all fluffed out. The outside lot are kind of doing the same thing. When I left they were zipping about acting like normal half grown babies. They just don't look or act right now.
What else can I do to help?
