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MLGarber

MLGarber

In the Brooder
7 Years
Apr 10, 2012
44
8
36
Virginia



Hello! I have been unofficially all over this site for a few weeks. This is our first foray into having livestock, and if I can handle "gross animal stuff" we'll go beyond chickens, but for now: We are just getting started! My husband and I just got 7 (3 leghorns and 4 Red (they said a mix of Rhode Island and New Hampshire)) pullets from the Tractor Supply on Friday and we are finishing the coop this week!! We are also "inheriting" two unsexed, unknown breed chicks from someone who is friends with my mother-in-law.

I have no idea how old these girls are, but i'm guessing the reds are about a week, and the leghorns seem almost twice their size, but really have no idea the ages. One of our reds was pasting when she came home, and I continue to check and wipe her bottom once a day, but I am concerned about her size. She looks like a day old chick, though her wing tips are finally beginning to feather and she seems to be eating and drinking fine. She has always been the smallest, but it seems the others have grown and her size seems to be half that of the reds she came home with. The leghorns, being so much bigger than the reds to begin with, knock her around and really make her look sickly and small. (the one to the right of the right-looking leghorn is the chick in question. shes center in the top pic) I feel like she hasn't grown at all. Does anyone have experience with this?
Does anyone have any tips on the pasting? She's doing ok, and has small poops, but i just have no idea what is normal and i have no idea how old she is which makes gauging this so difficult.

What about using antibiotics (not for growth, but for coccidiosis)?

 
Welcome to BYC. You mentioned you didnt know the ages of the chicks you "inherited." They are obviously younger than your chicks, therefore smaller in size including the runt. As long as they are ALL eating, drinking and pooping normally...you have nothing to worry about.
 
Am I understanding that you got your chicks all at the same time and the two that you are inheriting are not picked up yet? How big of a space do you have the chicks in? Have you checked your temp? It should be around 90, lowering it a couple of degrees each week. If they are all clustered under the heat lamp, the temp is not warm enough for them. If they are spread out a little, they are comfortable and if they are trying to get away from the heat lamp, it is too warm. The reason I went through this is because if you have them in an area that is too small, the bigger chicks will walk over the littler ones. You may have a runt that won't grow very much. Sometimes this happens for no apparent reason and the quality of care doesn't seem to matter-they are always small. Just to warn you, not to be mean, sometimes these chicks do not thrive. Good luck!
 
Thank you. You are right, the other two have not come to live with us yet. I believe you are right about the space. All seem to be comfortable with the temperature, moving in and out as they desire, but once the waterer and feeder are in the brooder spacing gets tight, especially now that they are growing so much. I got a gallon sized waterer.. should have gotten the quart, since thats all they drink anyway before i have to clean it out.
As for my little chickie, I have already come to terms with the fact that she just might not make it, but I will keep trying to care for her as best as I can.
Thanks to all for the welcomes and advice!
 
Hi and :welcome from Ohio. So glad you joined. Congrats on your chicks. I wouldn't worry about the size. Could it be a bantam? The qt size waterer is nice for small areas but that's only if you can check it often to make sure the water doesn't run out. :thumbsup
 
Again, thanks to all for the welcomes. I have been trolling around on this site for a few weeks and love the stories, pics, and information you all share. Such a friendly bunch.

I don't know if she is a bantam or not. I suppose she could have been mixed in at the tractor supply because they did have a tiny run of them the day we picked her up. She's just my runt. I hesitate to name her, or any of them, until they are passed what I will call "The first trimester."

I got another box and will possibly move the little girls over and let the big-uns have the one box and share the lamp between the two, if I can make it work logistically. The space is gonna run out in my original brooder anyway, i fear, before we are ready for coop-dom. Every day is a learning process!
 

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