Lost one of my chicks

[McGold]

Oh, don't beat yourself up about the loss! I know that it's really hard, and it really hurts, and makes you very sad, but stuff happens with chickens all the time! You can NEVER be 100% certain your chickens are 100% safe! You can build the Fort Knox of chicken coops, and things can still happen. A raccoon can chew its way through your coop, or a wild bird can poop where the chickens walk through it and they can get sick, or one can get laying problems, and end up eggbound, or they can get hold of a piece of string that blew in on the wind, or a stupid plastic bag, or anything similar, and they can get tangled up in it, or eat it and it cause problems in their crop or their innards, or ... like I said, ANYTHING can happen to them. You can ask old timers that have had chickens for decades, and they will tell you that even they don't know it all.

If you do decide to add more chooks to the little flock, the best way I have found is to sprinkle everyone with garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!), on their bellies and under their feathers, and sprinkle the coop with it, in the nesting boxes and on the litter on the floor, and sprinkle the new birds with the garlic powder, too. It makes everyone smell the same, smell like they belong there. Then at night, just set the new birds onto the roost. I've very, very seldom had any problems when doing it that way.

Soooo, I went back to Atwood's, and bought another chick in hopes of replacing. I couldn't help myself and bought another, so now I have 5 chicks. After putting them to bed a while ago, I checked on them and the 2 new ones were sleeping together opposite ends of coop from the remaining 3 also sleeping together. I tried the garlic powder thing you mentioned. Is this normal? Will it take a few days? Thanks!

 

[cavemanrich]

Baby Chicks will integrate without garlic. The garlic option I believe is for older established chickens and new arrivals. This way the older/existing chickens do not pick on the newcomers.
Glad you got some extras.

 

[McGold]

Baby Chicks will integrate without garlic. The garlic option I believe is for older established chickens and new arrivals. This way the older/existing chickens do not pick on the newcomers.
Glad you got some extras.

Ok so this is normal that they are sleeping seperate and they should integrate?

 

[Hamiam]

I'm going to throw my 2 cents in about the dog. Shock collar! I only had to give my dog 2 zaps. She avoids chickens now & looks at them as if to say "don't taze me bro!" It's been over a year & she's been perfect around the first chickens as they've grown. I recently bought new baby chicks, I was concerned I may need to remind her. Nope, she wouldn't dream of messing with them. She won't even make eye contact.

 

[cavemanrich]

When I would bring/add adult chickens into my flock, even though they were from different sellers, would always hang together in my coop initially. In no time all would be together in harmony.

@Hamiam I heard of the collar method from others as well.

 

[McGold]

I don't mean to be so dense, but is that normal for the 2 new chicks to sleep opposite ends of coop from the 3 survivors? Only about a week apart in age. I do apologize I'm very new and want to learn as much as possible!

 

[Hamiam]

When I would bring/add adult chickens into my flock, even though they were from different sellers, would always hang together in my coop initially. In no time all would be together in harmony.

@Hamiam I heard of the collar method from others as well.

Not everyone agrees with the use of a shock collar. I turned to it after working with our cattle dog mix for weeks. I would have her on a leash & she would look at the baby chicks & shake as she wanted to go after them so badly. I knew if she ever got a chance, they would die. I didn't want to constantly look over my shoulder in fear of "where's the dog?" After the 2 zaps, & several months of supervision with the chickens & dog together, we felt comfortable letting the dog outside without supervision with the chickens. All is well.

 

[Hamiam]

I don't mean to be so dense, but is that normal for the 2 new chicks to sleep opposite ends of coop from the 3 survivors? Only about a week apart in age. I do apologize I'm very new and want to learn as much as possible!

I think so. Once it's dark, using very little light (I cover the end of a flashlight with a dark towel/rubberband) quickly mover the two over with the others. In the morning, they will wake up together & feel more like they belong together.

 

[McGold]

I think so. Once it's dark, using very little light (I cover the end of a flashlight with a dark towel/rubberband) quickly mover the two over with the others. In the morning, they will wake up together & feel more like they belong together.

That worked! I immediately went and nudged them over, and 5 minutes later they are all asleep together!!

 

[cavemanrich]

Not everyone agrees with the use of a shock collar. I turned to it after working with our cattle dog mix for weeks. I would have her on a leash & she would look at the baby chicks & shake as she wanted to go after them so badly. I knew if she ever got a chance, they would die. I didn't want to constantly look over my shoulder in fear of "where's the dog?" After the 2 zaps, & several months of supervision with the chickens & dog together, we felt comfortable letting the dog outside without supervision with the chickens. All is well.

Collar does the same thing as a Hot Wire does for predators. Once a raccoon learns Hot Wire, they tend to respect it. Many peeps bait their Hot Wires with scraps of meat. Animals learn quickly. You do have to keep maintaining the Hot Wire since you will encounter new and different predators. I know that raccoons rarely get caught into a live trap a second time.(same type and kind) They are smart.