Ivory the Rooster: Day 665 *updates*

[Akane]

Parakeet grit is not safe anyway. It has added calcium which is harmful to chicks and will damage their internal organs. Just give the chick starter and eggs so it won't need grit. Poultry feed is already ground up to a point chickens don't need grit to digest it. Avoid the treats and no corn at least until she recovers and grows at a more normal rate. Personally I would have looked for gamebird feed. It's also an option in the future if you don't want medicated starter. I feed 22% gamebird feed to my chicks and often the adults with calcium supplement like oyster shell for the layers. It has better ingredients, higher protein so they grow and feather faster, and it's non medicated. I can't get non medicated starter here.

 

[77horses]

UPDATE: Ivory's crop is still the same size as this morning. It seems to be bothering her a tiny bit because she sometimes moves her neck a little, like when our hens eat too much and they will sway their necks around every once and a while because their crops are so full at one time. She seems active and normal, but her crop is just so big that it seems to be bothering her a little.

Also, her droppings right now are normal, but they are so tiny! They are just like little pebbles. Normal looking, but not normal size.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[bantybev]

77horses...I just read your entire thread and I think you are a good mommy to your chick. You took the time to ask questions and followed the excellent advice everyone gave you. Sounds like you really love your little chick. You just didn't know any better. My Aunt never fed her chicks or chickens anything except "scratch" and they free ranged and did just fine. Her chicks were raised by their mother hens and started out on ground corn and whatever they found free ranging. Being a "house chick" is different, so are some chickens kept in a coop with a run. They don't have the variety of natural foods to choose from, so have to be given a good, well balance, nutritional feed. That may be why your families other chicks and chickens did fine with a supplement of cracked corn.

Kudos to you for wanting what is best for your little chick, and taking the time to research and go get what she needs.

BTW....if you have trouble switching her over to the chick starter, try mixing it with a little water and egg yolk at first. Then you can decrease the water and yolk a little at a time, until she will eat the crumbles alone. That's what I had to do when I adopted 3 of my Aunts little bantam chickens who were used to only "scratch" and free ranging all day. They wouldn't eat the layer crumbles at all at first. It worked well for me.
She won't even need grit with just the crumbles and yolk. You will only need grit, sand, of very tiny stones from the yard if she eats any other treats, whether from the house or vegetation and bugs from the yard.

Good luck with your baby. She should start picking up weight, size and feathers within a couple weeks. You are on the right track.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Thank you and yes, I do love my baby chick very very much.

I would be devastated if anything ever happened to her...

I hope she does get better soon!

And you're right about mixing the starter crumbles with water and egg yolk...I've noticed that so far she will only eat a little bit of the crumbles if I get my finger wet with water, dip it nto the crumbles, and they stick to my finger and she will peck them off sometimes. She won't really eat them directly from her dish yet, though. She still loves the cooked egg I give her, though. Whenever she sees it, she goes crazy and immediately gobbles it all up.

She will even play "keep away" with it because she doesn't want anyone taking her egg.

Thanks again and I hope you're right about her gaining more weight and growing more feathers! I still can't believe how behind she is compared to other normal chickens her age.

 

[ranchhand]

Time and patience, it won't change overnight.

 

[arherp]

I haven't read the comments, but I had a chick that did similar to this when it was by itself. Also, you should definately give it starter feed with calcium and 24% protein, corn will NOT cut it for a baby. No way.

 

[JROOSTER]

Umm does your mother know you have a chick in your room? In your other post you said she wont let you have chickens. I hope your mom dont bust you!

 

[77horses]

Quote:
Yes, she does. hahaha there's no way I could keep her in my room without her eventually noticing!

But once Ivory gets old enough, she's going outside with the rest of the chickens at my dad's house.

 

[crosbygroup]

Did you ever give her some grit or the driveway sand? Is it possible that she needs that to help her empty out her crop that was full of corn? Is that why her crop looks large. I gave my chicks grit as soon as I started giving them treats.

 

[77horses]

Quote:
I didn't give it to her directly, but I brought her outside for a little while and let her scratch around and I know she ate at least some of the sand in the driveway.


UPDATE: I just turned off Ivory's light for the night, but before that a little while ago I noticed she was eating some more of the starter crumbles.

I don't think that the reason why her crop is full is because of the corn; she didn't have very much corn in it in the beginning, before I gave her the cooked egg. After I gave her the cooked egg is when it got large and hasn't really shrunk that much. Maybe because she's been eating every once and a while and so her crop has been full constantly? Maybe she's digesting her food but since she always has food available, she's been eating it and that has been filling her crop more?

Tomorrow I will see if her crop gets a little smaller. Since her light will be off all night, she won't be able to eat anything and her crop should be empty, or close to being empty, by the morning.