My silkie chicks won"t eat...

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

I just got 3 silkie chicks (6-7 weeks old) this week and they don't seem to be eating... the fellow I bought them from said they were eating crumble so I built a little 'coop' in my backshed for them and gave them some crumble but they don't seem to be eating. How do I get them to eat and drink?

 

[artsyrobin]

try dampening the crumbles, how do they seem otherwise? energy? poop etc

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

Everytime I check on them they seem to be huddled together and they seem to be pooping... I am just so excited to have these chicks, i don't want anything to happen to them because I am doing something wrong... and i will try adding a bit of water to the food...

 

[SilkieBantams]

I'd give them medicated chick feed and when they are huddled together it means that they feel cold and they are trying to feel warm.

 

[loanwizard]

I would definitely add a light bulb or some sort of heat source.

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

They have heat... I just added a bit of water to the food and I moved the dish to the middle of their 'coop' and one went right for it
so I think they"ll be ok but I need to make sure they are eating and drinking... I just have a water jug with a hole in it for water so they can"t get into it, or are they old enough now to not drown themselves in it?

 

[artsyrobin]

i agree on the heat issue- i personally would have them in the house were i could observe their behavior

 

[loanwizard]

At 7 weeks old, they won't drown. I remove the rocks from the pie pan after the first week. I have 15 1 week old chicks that I removed the rocks 2 nights ago because they were getting pine shavings in them. Waiting to see how long before they discover the chicken nipple in a Dasani water bottle I have hanging in there.

 

[UrbanFarmerGreg]

Well they seem to be eating fine now and I will definitely give them a better water dish now I know they won't drown themselves. They have heat in their 'coop' but maybe they are just adjusting to the new sights and sounds as well as not having their mom around... thanks for the help.

 

[JodyJo]

they are 7 weeks old? they shouldn't need heat any longer, where do you live? How cold is it getting at night?
I mix water with my starter and they always seem to eat more of it, love it...you can add a few treats to their diet, cut up grapes etc...if you do add some grit, either buy some chick grit, or a dish of sand etc...to help aid digestion.

You can elevate the waterer on a block of wood or an overturned tupperware dish, helps prevent shavings from being kicked in....I think you were right thinking they
were just adjusting...post some pics when you get a chance, we love seeing newbies!

here is a link to the treat chart and the photo posting site...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=504