Lethargic baby Chick

[GromitLV]

Stupid question, how do you force feed crickets?

 

[casportpony]

Open beak, insert whole cricket as far in as possible.

-kathy

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Oh, I would NOT try feeding crickets yet. Try chopped up earthworms or mealworms maybe, but whole crickets? *shivers* I used to handle crickets for money some time back and they BITE. If you feed them to a weak chick a cricket could make it worse by biting it's throat or crop. Given a couple hours it could actually chew it's way out of a weak chick. Crickets are horrifying.

 

[casportpony]

Small crickets will not be a problem, besides, you can squish their heads to kill them. Force feeding crickets is how I kept one of my peachicks alive last year. Earthworms can carry parasites, do not feed and bugs from your yard, feed only store bought crickets or mealworms that are small enough for you chick to swallow.

-Kathy

 

[ChocolateMouse]

That's fair, pre-killed crickets would be fine. I just would never trust live ones to not make it worse.

My chickens all free-range on deep liter so I don't really buy into the "no bugs from the yard and DIRELY AVOID EARTHWORMS" thing. Their deep litter is FULL of earthworms and if I hatched out chicks he chicks would be on the deep litter. I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to deprive them of their natural diet... And most petstores sell earthworms too, so....

 

[casportpony]

Wait until you have one die from blackhead, then you won't feel the same about earthworms.

-Kathy

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I will feel precicely the same about earthworms, actually. I will just have one less chicken with a weaker immune system. Survival of the fittest in my flocks.

 

[BantamLover21]

Wait until you have one die from blackhead, then you won't feel the same about earthworms.

-Kathy

I thought that chickens don't usually get blackhead--from what I've read, it more commonly infests turkeys.

 

[casportpony]

I thought that chickens don't usually get blackhead--from what I've read, it more commonly infests turkeys.

Sort of true.... I have hundreds of chickens, but 'I've only seen it twice in them, but I've seen it about a dozen times in my 5 turkeys and 14 peafowl.

-Kathy

 

[GromitLV]

blackhead? Something else I guess I am going to have to learn about. I am sadden to say though our chick just crossed the road about an hour ago. But we still have 6 others that seem to be just fine. I know it's true, but I have to say Survival of the fittest sure sucks right now.