This is our first time raising chicks, and as I start to think I know them they throw me a curve ball. We added 9 new babies to our existing 9, 1 weekers yesterday. The new babies were shipped Wednesday, so I'm assuming they were hatched Tuesday, right? Well the new babies are all feather legged, and they seem to have VERY fluffy little booties! I had one that started to get a little pasty, so I washed her up and put some olive oil on her vent and feathers. She's going great now! Should I do that to all of them as a percautionary measure? When they arrived from Ideal they had runny very green poo, now their poo is ranging in color from brown to green to white. Is this normal? They seem to be very wobbly, is it because they're so little? I'm also wondering if they maybe bantams, they seems a lot tinier than the first group we got. Our first group were std. australorp, EE, and RIR. Is there anyway to tell? I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!! These babies are a whole new ball of wax compared to our other girls. Thanks so much for you help!!! Sonja
I wouldn't oil them up unless they need it. My chicks had green poo when they arrived. Now it's generally brown and white. They could be full size breeds and still be smaller then the rest. For example the standard Cochin and my Polish chick are smaller then the rest of my chicks. What did you order?
So white poo is ok? I have one that primarily poos white. I received 2 black langshan, 2 salmon faverolle, 2 buff brahma, 2 white cochin, and 1 blue cochin. If I wanted to add a little cornmeal to their food, can I just use the kind you can find at the grocery store? Thank you for the help!! It's very much appreciated. Sonja
Quote:Don't fix it if it ain't broke. No need to oil their bottoms if they don't have pasty butt. Just a waste of your time and effort. Quote:Very normal. Just like a babies first poops little chicks have greenish/blackish first poops that change as they begin to eat. Quote:You can give them some honey water for 1 day. If you don't have that you can give them apple cidar vinegar in their water for a boost. If you must resort to a last effort to perk them up if they seem abnormally wobbly you can use a little sugar water but I hesitate to recommend it. Use it for a few hours then go back to clean water plain. Sugar water becomes a laxative and you will create problems for yourself if they drink too much. Quote:Some chicks just start out smaller than others but grow up to be normal size. If I wanted to add a little cornmeal to their food, can I just use the kind you can find at the grocery store? All they need is the starter crumbles. Why do you want to add cornmeal to their diet? It will be a filler and they won't eat as much feed as they need for proper nutrients. If you are thinking of it as a treat give them plain yogurt instead with some chick starter sprinkled over top.
THe white part of the poo is actually urine...sounds like you are doing a great job! Jus tbeing aware is the most important thing///the sooner you catch it the better...Goood Luck!!!