Is there something wrong??

[chickenlife13]

Hi everyone, so my chicks are about 13 days old now. I got 2 of them from the feed store when they were 3 days. They are pretty good about most things, but here are some problems:

(1. They keep forgetting how to eat. And if they do remember,they don't want to eat for more than a split second. They are super light weight, but they are Sebrights. We have been feeding them their starter mixed with water for the past 10 hours, but they only seemed to like that at first. Then, at midnight, we mixed some applesauce with their food, & once again, they only liked it at first.

(2. I'm pretty sure that they BOTH have diarrhea. And I cant figure out why????

(3. They have lice for sure, the lady at the feed store diagnosed them with that. I am putting some DE in their bedding. Any other tips?

I think that that is it. They are doing perfect on the whole drinking part, but don't get me started on the eating. This is my first time raising chicks, & man is it hard work. Please answer my questions, I really care about the health of my chicks, Thank you!

 

[Island Roo]

I wouldn't fuss over them too much.
Make sure they have a warm place under a heat lamp and place the chick starter food where they can get at - but not directly under the heat. They'll go for a bite when they want and under the heat when they want.

For the diarrhea, add some Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to their water. The AVC should say "with mother" or something to indicate that it has not been pasteurized (which kills the good bugs). Braggs in one brand - walmart has a different brand. 1 tablespoon per gallon.

Keep an eye on the diarrhea. Their poos should be somewhat solid. If it continues you should investigate some more. I suggest you search on coccidiosis so you know what to look out for. It is one of the common disease to affect chicks.

Can you see the lice moving? They look look like specs of pepper.

There is some information about dusting for mites near the start of this thread.
Deworming and de-miting questions
There are some experienced folks are debating dosages for medication - dont worry about that. I would dust them. If the have a question about dusting a young chick, ask there.

ETA - I just had another look at the thread I mentioned. Most of it IS about the meds. You might want to do some more searching about dusting for mites.

 

[memere maynard]

When I got my 4 chicks about 5 weeks ago, (also from a feed store)I placed them in an old fish tank at first so that we could watch their behaviors and also I just put a simple low glass bowl of water and another one with the feed. They pecked at it on their own schedule. Nothing technical. Just made it available and showed them where it was. I did take each of them and dipped their beak into the water for a split second so they would know what it was. We did also have a heat lamp above and kept one end of the tank at about 95 degrees. Now they are in an outside coop and doing well. they did seem to go from runny poop to more firm poop occasionally. Not really sure what that was about, but now mostly firm. Good Luck, but don't loose sleep over it.

 

[donrae]

A Sebright chick's only going to need, what, like 1/2 tsp of food a day? I'm just guessing here, but they're such tiny little things, they honestly can't need much. No normal animal is going to starve with food available.

Quit the applesauce if they're having diarrhea. Go with a small amount of acv.

Lice? Seriously?I can't quite fathom the conditions a three day old chick would have been kept in to get lice. I'd strongly advise against buying there in the future, and in general against buying any animal that has an obvious parasitic infestation. Always buy the healthiest stock you can.