How long...

[Fly Be Free]

.....until hatchlings take an interest in eating and drinking?? My babies were hatched yesterday morning and all they do is sleep and find a new place to sleep.

 

[mstricer]

Dip their beaks in the water so they know where it is. With the food tap your finger in it once one shows interest they all will.

 

[AngelaPenny]

It was probably day 3 when i saw them drinking and eating on their own. I showed them a few times, dunked the tip of the beaks in the water and it was a proud moment when they finally figured it out.

And now, at 16 days old....they consume their body weight in food a day, and poop the same amount!

 

[Fly Be Free]

Dip their beaks in the water so they know where it is. With the food tap your finger in it once one shows interest they all will.

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[HEChicken]

The last thing they do before hatching is absorb the yolk so they don't *need* to eat for up to 3 days. However most will eat sooner than that if it is offered to them. Remember, they are newborn babies and like all newborn babies, they will sleep a LOT.

Were these hatched under a broody or in an incubator. If they were under a broody, she will show them what and how to eat and drink. If they were hatched in an incubator, sometimes it helps to pretend you are Mama Hen and show them what to do. Try sprinkling a little food directly on the floor and "peck" at it with your finger. For the water, you can try adding some marble to the waterer to get their attention. They will peck at the marbles and learn that there is water there. Alternately, if you take their beak and dip it in the water a couple of times, they generally get the idea pretty quickly.

 

[Fly Be Free]

Took all of two seconds. LOL Now they're wading, drinking and eating. LOL Crazy little buggers.