I need some advise!

[bigstack]

They will need some grit, just make sure they don't fill up on it. I have seen some chicks that would just eat the grit and not eat any feed. I just sprinkle some on the food I give them about once or twice a week. Depending on what I am feeding. If they are eating chick starter they will not need any grit. But with these chicks eating corn meal!!!!! They are starving to death!!! The corn has almost NO nutritional value at all! ANY teacher should know that!!!!! But also the chicks not having grit can not grind up the corn pieces to extract what little nutrients there is. The grit settles in the gizzard, food enters the gizzard and the muscles contract and release. This squeezing grinds the food and grit (sand, small stones, etc) together and makes the food into smaller pieces. The smaller ground food is able to be broken down by the body more thoroughly. Thus extracting more nutrients from the food. Chick starter is formulated so it can be digested with out grit. If a chick is being fed anything other than egg or chick starter they will need grit! If a mama chicken is there she will teach the chick to eat a small amount of grit but not too much. Some chicks do fine with grit and others think its a treat! They should not need more than maybe a tsp each per week. even that amount is alot. But it wont kill them. If they eat too much grit it can compact in the gizzard and basically form kinda like concrete. This compaction will not allow food to pass through the body. Resulting in the chick starving. it is vital to only allow the chicks to consume a small amount a grit! They need it but only in propper amounts. Kasie, You are a life saver for these chicks!!! I can't believe a teacher is so STUPID! These are living things! How can she/he be so uncaring? Do they think " Oh it will be a good lesson for the kids to see a living thing either flurish or suffer and die a horrible death if they don't learn how to care for it?" I mean come on!!! This is so sad! Thank God for you Kasie! Atleast you care enough to try! You were smart enough to try and find help. I love BYC! Thank God for BYC! I really hope these chicks are not to far gone. I hope this stupid teacher cancels this project and just gives you the chicks. This just shows how lil this teacher cares for living, feeling things. You GO Kasie!!!

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Kasie, here is a good link to read on caring for baby chicks, it helped me a lot to understand what is needed. if you can print it and take it to your school it might be helpful for your teacher. it sounds like she/he did not do HER/HIS homework. sorry to hear that your friend lost a chick. are you teaching your friend what you are learning here?


http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-care/chapter-4-caring-for-baby-chicks.aspx

 

[Kasie]

i most definatly am! i have been sending them your messages through facebook my friend lindsey even went and made her own byc account on here so she can learn more as well! she went and got chick starter feed and she got stuff to put in there water to help them is what she told me

we are all trying really hard to care for them! its the other kids that arent caring for them right! they have been trying to teach the chicks tricks!!! its aweful! we are all getting together tomorrow after school to talk about what we should do about the chicks and how we should handle this situation we are trying to take the best care of them i along with my class appreciate all that u have done for us! we really appreciate it! you are the best!!! THANK YOU!

i will tell them about the grit where do i get that and what exactly is that? hehehe i am learning so much more than my teacher it rocks! well thank you so much! i have grown really attached to my three little boys hehehe

this is very frustrating that my teacher hasnt taken better care of them its really really frustrating

but we are all trying really hard and i think we can save these three now thanks to everyone on BYC and especially you!

 

[Kasie]

Can i give them fruit?? Is that a good idea or no?? Can they go with out grit for another day? Can i buy regular bird grit? Or is it a specific kind of grit they must have?? If they are huddling together r they to cold?? And i think they may be pickin on the smaller one this is new they havent ever done it before what should i do about that??

 

[herefordlovinglady]

I used bird grit for mine, just make sure it is small. if you are in a sandy part of the country, you can get some sand from outside to hold you over until then. you can feed them fruit for treats, just make sure you have the grit for them. grit is like our teeth, since they don't have any they can't chew, and the grit helps "chew" their food. I sprinkle their treats with grit to make sure they are getting some. did you get any starter feed yet? pecking can be a problem, if blood is drawn, it is very hard to stop. I will have to leave what to do about this up to the experts, i am still learning too.

wow, i like the idea you are getting a group together to get a good game plan down for these babies. good for you. tell your friends we at byc are very proud of all of you...

PS: tell lindsey to find this thread and say hello to us...

robin

 

[Kasie]

ok i will go out and get some grit i am from indiana so not many beaches around here.... actually theres not much of anything out here lol

i will be sure to tell lindsey to hop on here and say hey

thanks for all of the help

 

[bigstack]

Hey,
Sorry I been gone so long. I have been busy building a new coop and trying to get the new run ready. My birds go outside this weekend, depending on the weather. LOL I am so glad you found BYC! I hope all the people in your class find us. I don't know it all. I have only been here a lil while myself. The amount of info I have learned since joining is amazing! Bird grit is fine for a chick. If you can finda TSC (tractor supply store) They have small grit made for chicks. But bird is fine. I really hope you got the others in time. I am sorry I keep harping on the teacher. I just can't imagine someone trying to do this "experiment" With out knowing the propper way to care for a living creature. Especially when they have a personality and feelings! Chickens are not just food. Granted I am raising some just for that purpose but after seeing the personalities com out. I am going to have a tough time doing what has to be done! I will be raising the best genetic birds for show stock and breeding. The others for eggs and meat. This being said I want ALL my chickens to have healthy, loving, and propper care. Regardless of the final destination!!! God Bless You and your friends for trying to do the right thing! Thank You for comming to BYC!

Good Luck and God Bless!

P.s. We still need pics!!!

 

[YoungChickenFan93]

Hey everyone, I am Lindsey-the friend Kasie was talking about. I just want to thank everyone so much for all the help with our chicks-it has been such a rough road and you all have made it smoother for us! Kasie is gonna bring them back to school tomorrow and I brought the chick starter feed in and a little package of anitbiotic suff that goes in their water. Currently it is Wilbur, Maverick and Sunny-D left in our little flock of fluffy butts. We have a order of 12 hatching eggs of silkies and 12 hatching eggs of red star or barred plymoth rocks being shipped out on April 13... but once again, thank you all so much!!

 

[bigstack]

HEY!!!

and a Big Texas HOWDY!!! Im glad Ya'll found us! Im new too but I am Glad I could help. Thank You for careing and trying to do the right thing for the lil guys!

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[Kasie]

i cant figure out how to get picture on here

hahaha they have learnt how to get out of there pin which made for an interesting afternoon of trying to find the chickies hahaha they are learning there dominance and who is bigger than who no fighting as of yet but lots of long necks and puffing up lol

thanks for all of the help

me and lindsey are uber excited about the new chicks that we will have

now that we know what it is we need to do to have healthy chicks and it is all thanks to you all!!!

i hope your chickies do good out there on there own! i found a farmer friend who will take the chicks and give them a goood life she only uses her chicks for show and eggs hahaha we get her farm fresh eggs all the time and they are soooooo GOOD!!!!!!!!

my teacher is dumb i am so frustrated with him! i told him today that we needed to change the bedding and he said there was no point!!! ummmm hello they can live in there own poo all the time! he hasnt changed it not once! its nasty and super frustrating

but any ways on the up note they are all doing really good! they are getting bigger everyday! its amazing to watch them grow

thank you all for the help with this! if any one can tell me how to post pictures i would be more than glad to its very confusning to me

lol

thanks a lot sincerly Kasie