My first babies EVER :) but one might be sick :(

[MontanaDolphin]

I finally took the plunge. Southern States got a new shipment of babies in this morning, and I went and got 6. The lady there who picked them for me said she's 75% sure I got 5 hens and 1 rooster, based on the color of the feet? Anyway, got them home and one of the little girls seemed sick, or tired, or something. She kept falling asleep on her feet, and laying down, sometimes a little sideways. So I separated her just in case. Now she's making all sorts of racket!

Now I have a new worry, as well as worrying about my chocolate lab's interest in them. She shakes while she looks at them, and all I can think is "It's like she can't wait to get her teeth around one". SIGH. I am afraid to let her near one so she can get used to them, cuz I'm afraid she'll try to eat it

Anyway, they are a day old, barred rock babies. Hoping I do everything right and don't lose any!

 

[lilliesanchicks]

Give her some sugar water.
She is probably lonely and is saying so very loudly.
There is a post somewhere that shows how to pick out female barred rocks,I think its by the dot on the head.


Posted by Pele


"Generally speaking, baby female BRs tend to have a dark wash down the front of their legs. They also have darker fuzz all over, and tend to have an either very small and tight spot on their head or no spot at all."

"Males tend to have lighter legs, lighter overall fuzz, and have a large uneven white blotch on their heads."

"Hope that helps!"

 

[gimmie birdies]

all barred rocks have spot, the female's is smaller.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

what's the ratio for the sugar water? how much sugar to how much water?

 

[Karen12]

Do we know if the spot size also applies to the bantam br?

 

[MontanaDolphin]

The lady at SS said that the dark feet are the hens and the light feet are the roos...almost always. Didn't know about the spot.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

I use a medicine dropper to get sugar water into them when theyre like this. I mix the sugar rather heavily. The water's sticky when it gets on me. They snap back- it doesn't take much. But if its from shipping stress or failure to thrive there's not much to do to coax them from deaths door... they might perk up only to die of tomorrow, at least thats been my experience. But for the most part sugar water and some yogurt saves the babies for me.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Anyone have any advice about introducing them to my dog so she doesn't make them her next snack? Once they are old enough to go out to the coop, I don't want her to mistake them for food since they will be free ranging a lot.

 

[jdywntr]

No unsupervised time together unless you are there. Keep the dog on a leash. Teach "leave it". Let her sniff them if you trust her but only while someone has a hold of her and someone else has the chick. Set up their coop and teach the dog that it is NOT her area and don't allow her in, ever. You want her to be able to see them but want her to learn that playing or chasing is inappropriate. Many people will scold when the dog pays too much attention to them, which is helpful.

Some of my dogs LOVE babies. They would love nothing better than to sit in the brooder and watch and sniff them. Once they are grown they could care less.

 

[MontanaDolphin]

Thanks for the advice!