I have a broody hen who has 4 baby chicks that follow her around in the run. They are about 9 days old now. I put out starter food for them, but I have no clue how much they actually eat of it. They prefer to follow Mom around and eat whatever she drops.
I noticed that the chicks seem to breathe really quickly. Sometimes I will see them just standing off to the side breathing quickly and shutting their eyes. Are they just exhausted from chasing Mom around so much? I know when I've raised chicks in a brooder they sleep a lot. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal behavior for chicks being raised with the flock, or if they are sick.
Any thoughts or suggestions are very much appreciated!
I noticed that the chicks seem to breathe really quickly. Sometimes I will see them just standing off to the side breathing quickly and shutting their eyes. Are they just exhausted from chasing Mom around so much? I know when I've raised chicks in a brooder they sleep a lot. I'm trying to figure out if this is normal behavior for chicks being raised with the flock, or if they are sick.
Any thoughts or suggestions are very much appreciated!