Just got chicks delivered and help :)

[Realtree4]

I posted this in raising chicks, but haven't heard anything....thought I would try here.

My new babies arrived this morning from McMurray! I was so nervous since I read about all the issue people have been having since they ship out on Saturday (totally didn't know this!)....they hatched Friday, shipped Saturday and arrived Monday. I really thought I would have several DOA. I ordered 25 and I now have 27 loud babies I was very concerned with a few as they couldn't stand well, very wobbly, trouble with eating/drinking....luckily (thanks to advice here) I already had Nutri-Drench on hand and gave all a drop, focusing on the weak ones. Within about 1/2 hour they seem good as new!

A few questions/issues...

1. At first one of them seemed completely blind...stumbled backwards, could find food/water, bumped into everyone. I looked close and saw that it's eyelids weren't formed correctly, they just looked like teeny tiny slits and I could just barely see its eyes. After Nutri-drench and some extra tlc, I can't pick it out of the bunch...it's running with everyone and eating and drinking with them. And now looking at its eyes, they are much smaller opening than all the others, but I'm thinking it still has useable vision? Any ideas as far as long term and getting bullied?

2. Only one had pasty butt and when I looked closer, it looks like its vent is more "pushed out" more? Not so much as a prolapse, but just more pushed out. I cleaned it and applied triple antibiotic ointment with a q-tip. Any other ideas?

And lastly...

One of my RIR pulleys seems very mean! She will grab others by their beaks and shake them until they run away or stand up to her...she will back away when confronted. What is typical pecking order Vs bullying?

It looks like my extra exotic chick is a silver polish (assuming a roo) which means I will have 4 roosters since I order 2 Easter egger roosters and they sent 3 and now the extra. It's so stinkin adorable but one of the ones I am watching as it is one of the ones I had to give extra tlc.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

As for the one with the eye issues, chicks and chickens can over come all sorts of disabilities in life. So as long as this one is able to eat, drink and keep up with the others, I wouldn't worry about it unless the eyes become infected or it starts to effect the quality of life.

As for the one with the butt issues, it may be an imbilical cord infection or possibly the yolk not quite absorbed yet. I personally would keep this one separate and give this one more heat. About 4 or 5 degrees more than the others. Many times more heat will kick start these little ones and in a few days they can rejoin the rest of the flock. Add some vitamins to this little ones water. You can put a stuffed animal in with him and a small mirror so he doesn't feel lonely. You don't want the others to pick at his butt.

For the bully pullet, some birds are aggressive. Pecking orders are not really pecking at all but just an order that is followed by all in the flock. You shouldn't see actual aggression. If you do, I would separate this one out for a couple to a few weeks to possibly re organize the order so when she returns she is more like the new bird. Hopefully she will have adjusted her attitude. If she returns mean, you can always go the route of pinless peepers. I have a hen that is aggressive with her flock mates and needs to wear them occasionally to correct her actions.

Good luck with your new babies and flock and welcome to BYC!

 

[Realtree4]

Silly question....How do I separate them if I don't have another heat lamp? Should I add another box with a window so they can share the light?

 

[TwoCrows]

I have made a divider with hardware cloth down the middle of the brooder and put the light in the center so that each side has the heat. Since you don't have another source of heat, you might up the heat to about 96 degrees for all of them. The healthy ones can take it, and the little one will benefit from a bit more heat. In a few days this one should have healed or died. If he is doing better, you can mix him back in.

Keep us posted on this little one!

Silly question....How do I separate them if I don't have another heat lamp? Should I add another box with a window so they can share the light?

 

[Realtree4]

I added another box with a screen between.....I found the bully and this one just cries and cries and attacks and cries some more? I put it in the adjacent box and it started screaming. So now I'm typing with one hand while holding this one. Now all the others are calm and this one is chilled out and mellow???? What the heck!

 

[TwoCrows]

I added another box with a screen between.....I found the bully and this one just cries and cries and attacks and cries some more? I put it in the adjacent box and it started screaming. So now I'm typing with one hand while holding this one. Now all the others are calm and this one is chilled out and mellow???? What the heck!

The separated ones are lonely. This is what I would do if these were my babies. As long as nobody is bothering the one with the butt problems, I would put him back in with the group since he doesn't need the stress of being lonely. As for the bully, this one needs to stay by himself until he learns not to hurt the others. So I would leave him by himself until tomorrow and put him back in. If he continues to be a bully, he will go back to his lonely side. Never let bullies pick on other birds.

Bullying in the brooder can be caused from cramped conditions, over heating, too much competition for food and water, hungry and thirsty. So make sure you are giving them 1/2 square foot total per bird, there are cool spots in the brooder by keeping the heat off to one side and food and water on the other side so they have to leave the heat to get to the goods. This will create cool spots in the brooder. Your thermometer should be placed on the floor directly beneath the heat source. You should start them at around 95 degrees. However you might turn this heat down to 90 to chill the bully out. When you first put babies in the brooder, dip everybody's beak in the water so they know where the food is. Lay down paper towels and sprinkle food all around the floor around the feeder so they all know where the food is kept. You can remove the paper towels in a few days.

Babies cry because something is wrong...either they are hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, lonely or sick.

 

[gander007]