I can't let them pick on her!

[grammyII]

I have 8 seven week old chicks. The smallest one is getting pecked at all the time. They won't let her in when they all huddle together and when she goes to the water or food bowls they peck at her nonstop. I just removed her from the rest but I am so afraid they will not allow her back in or she will die from the trauma. Please give me advice.

Grammy in MA

 

[loveourbirds]

separate her from the rest, make sure she stays warm. add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or sugar to 1 quart of her water. unpasteurized acv is best but pasturized will work. this helps relieve the symptoms from a stressed bird. in a day or 2 she will perk back up wait a couple more days before you mix her back in.
I say this to all people who are new to chicks. if you lose one or two don't get discouraged, there are several problems in chicks that you cant see. just do your best and before long it will be second nature to you.

good luck and feel free to pm me if its symptoms get worse,
brian

 

[grammyII]

Thank you so much for your response. I have her in a small dog crate with a heating pad under a puppy pad and pine chips. She hasn't tried to eat or drink yet but I will give her a bit more time to settle down and if she still doesn't drink out comes the medicine dropper. Good perks to being an RN.

 

[grammyII]

Also, I have a sheet covering the crate so nothing spooks her further i.e. dogs.

 

[loveourbirds]

do you have her under any kind of light? at 7 weeks a light probably isn't necessary but, it does help them find the warmth they want and to perk up.

 

[Zrcalo]

I actually wouldnt give her any apple cider vinegar at all. She could refuse to drink it and get very dehydrated. Some chickens dont like the taste. I've had better luck with adding a little bit of sugar to her water. Make sure you dip her beak into the water so she knows where and what it is. If she doesnt drink it with sugar, give her plain old water.

:/ if she doesnt eat or drink at all, she might be sick.

 

[loveourbirds]

I actually wouldnt give her any apple cider vinegar at all. She could refuse to drink it and get very dehydrated. Some chickens dont like the taste. I've had better luck with adding a little bit of sugar to her water. Make sure you dip her beak into the water so she knows where and what it is. If she doesnt drink it with sugar, give her plain old water.

:/ if she doesnt eat or drink at all, she might be sick.

the acv is for treatment of possible respiratory infection, sugar just helps with rehydration . also acv adjusts water to match the ph of the bird and helps any nutrients and medications from the chick starter to work better. ive never seen a chick turn away from a light dose of acv, but if you mix to much they might turn away. and on a last note acv does have some nutrition on its own where sugar has very little.
I have used both, but in this case I do think the acv will do better than sugar. but in the event your chick doesn't drink the acv the sugar would be a good backup.