My chicken will only eat one thing!

[ChickenTRex]

Hello everyone,
So I had a 2 month old chicken and I thought she felt lonely and thought about getting her a friend
recently I saved a baby chick I bought at a swap meet, the poor thing
had been painted and was packed in a tiny fishtank with lots more chicks and ducklings,

But now i have a problem, the chicken is very active and chirps alot, but will not eat anything
he will only eat dough and anything like raw dough, he pecks at seeds and chicken food
but only shoots it away not eat it and will not eat anything, how can I make him eat other food.
(he recently has been slowing down and thats worrying me, he does drink water though)
thanks for the Help!

 

[birdonerous]

I would not feed him anymore dough, if he's hungry he'll eat properly.

 

[Roxannemc]

Are you giving your chicks crumbles?Thats what baby chicks should eat
.Starter crumbles medicate is best
If its crumbles you can wet them to a soft consistancy.Very small im not sure they can eat all seeds .He may be use to crumbles why he isnt ableee to handle the seed.
Most chicks are given the crumbles when under a few months old as they have all the extra nourishment they need to grow well.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Along with the chick starter he needs access to grit. I agree to moisten the feed, you can also add scrambled eggs to its diet. This chick may be ill, or poorly treated before you got it.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Agree with the above posts. Just don't offer anything but chick starter. No seeds, especially no dough, nothing. He needs good, solid nutrition. Make a mash, feed it dry, whatever, but let that be the only food for now. If he's well and healthy he'll eat. You can add some Sav-A-Chick vitamin/electrolite supplement to his water. That helps perk them up and he may eat better.

 

[ChickenTRex]

Well getting chick starter and supplements is very difficult to obtain where I live
but I do have chicken feed, which my older chicken feeds on, the main problem is that this chick will not eat crumbles
he will not even eat it if its moist, in powder like form, and Im treating him and feeding the exact same way i treated my older chick when i got him and he turned out just fine. :/

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Chickens can have trouble adjusting to something new...if he's hungry he will eat it. If you don't bind him up with dough he will likely give real food a try. Does he have grit?

 

[Roxannemc]

If he wont eat the crumbles a tiny bit wet then he may have a medical problem.
he must be very young to have been colored as they inject it in the egg and goes away as he ages and his feathers grow so couldnt have been too used to another type feed.So it has to be some other problem that he wont eat.You might try crumbles smashed fine and just a tiny bit aded to water in a eyedropper.If you bought some polyvisol vitimins for babies no iron...add a little drop of it he may gain energy and eat.As a last ditch effort I n ormally wouldnt suggest this but maybe try some egg as someone suggested b/ c he isnt getting enough nourishment to live i dont think with the feed you a re offering and he isnt eating.Dough doesnt have enough of what he needs to live and could jamb up his system.He needs proteni at leadt.

 

[Roxannemc]

Also not sure what crumbles you feed your grown chickens that you are feeding tiny chicks but if its layer feed as i use it can kill a chick as it has too much calcium for them until they are laying and will wreck their kidneys .Another reason i use chick starter crumbles a small bag is $3.99.
You said the piece of seed jumps away from him when he trys to eat..was thinking he is trying it seems but its to hard for his tiny beak.Maybe if you sort of smashed it with something he could eat it.Just a thought.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

So the chick is all alone? You should go to the feed store and get at least 2 more chicks as "buddies".

In 2011 I incubated some eggs and only one chick hatched in a batch of three, he didn't eat, drink and peeped constantly. So we went to the feed store and had to get a pair of chicks for him. They "showed' him how to eat and drink.


Is the chicks poops normal? Definitely change the food to chick starter.