new chicks advise needed please

[Half a dozen]

These are our first chicks (Sky-blue ranger, Star-speckeldy and Luna-white sussex) they are all supposed to be three weeks but the speckeldy is a lot smaller and quieter, She sleeps a lot, She is eating and drinking though. Is this normal? A friend of ours said we should give them worms from our garden are they allowed to have these? She says hers go nuts for them. They have all been vaccinated and have all had a booster recently said the breeder. Any advise? Thank you.

 

[azygous]

You may have a "failure-to-thrive" chick. That means it likely has genetic abnormalities that prevent it from processing its food to get nutrients for growth. This chick may get sick and die. If it survives, it may always be small and may have a weak immune system. Just be forewarned.

You can get Poultry Nutri-drench and give it these vitamins on its food and it might perk up and start growing. If it's not eating, try moistening its crumbles.

Another thing. Your brooder needs to be tossed out. It's entirely inadequate. Chicks that age need a minimum of one square foot of space, and your chicks barely have room to turn around. This could be having an effect on this small chick if it's being bullied away from the food due to overcrowding.

If you have a coop, you could move these chicks in to it right now. If you're still in the process of building it, then rig up a day pen for the chicks and let them spend time outside on the grass or dirt. They need to experience being chickens.

 

[Half a dozen]

Hi we only got them yesterday and the 65L brooder box is just temporary while we are at my partners house. We have a large coop and run at home for them when they're old enough to go outside, but the breeder said to keep them inside until they're 6 wks old. They have a lot of feathering but still some fluff left. She also said they grow at different rates being different breeds. The chick does eat and she does drink and run about, she just sleeps a lot more than the others two. When we go home to my place tomorrow I plan on giving them a lot more space in a spare room. I hope she doesn't die as she's the breed I chose specifically as she's kind of like a barred rock which I wanted but couldn't find any definite hen chicks in that breed, so I went for something close. I'm in England by the way.The breeder also said she only uses heat lamps for one week in the summer and they don't need heat which i thought was odd. Thanks

 

[azygous]

Your chicks are old enough to go live in the coop now, regardless what the breeder told you, unless it's dead of winter where "home" is. At three weeks, they need heat maybe at night if the temps dip down into the 50s(F). But as long as the days are over 70F, three-week old chicks can get along fine with no heat during the day. They need all the room they can get, and that small chick is bound to improve with adequate space.

 

[Half a dozen]

I am going to get my other half to work on the coop after work. I told him about your advice and we've decided the coop with a heat light is a better option than the spare room we'd decided on at my home which is where we are now. I'm taking them into the garden today to let them feel and taste grass as it's nice and warm today. The little chick is settling in a bit better now she's more lively, but still has a little pink in her poop. I bought some paragon poultry lice,mite and wormer off the breeder. Would you suggest i put some in the food? It says for worming add some to their food, but obviously I haven't done any of that yet as the breeder didn't seem concerned about the pink poo she said it'll be stress from the transport and stress of all the new things. I just want what's best for my girls, they're already doted on like babies by my family. So any and all advice is extremely welcome and appreciated.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I'm in the north east of England and things have been pretty chilly here the last couple of weeks although they are due to get warmer in the next few days. All mychicks are broody reared and they pop under their mother for a warm quite regularly and sleep under her at night so I would be a bit concerned for them not to have some form of heat (heat pad is better than lamp in my opinion) at 3 weeks. If you can rig up a little cage in the garden in a sunny spot, sheltered from the wind and with a little optional shade if it gets too hot, they will enjoy the freedom to explore a bit more. At a week old mine are usually free ranging with my broodies. Obviously you will need to be able to supervise these outings bearing in mind the vagaries of the British weather.

I am pretty sure they are far too young to need worming but I would be a little concerned about pink poop. It may just be shedding of a little intestinal lining but it could also be coccidiosis. Can you post a picture of the poop in question? I am surprised that the breeder sold you louse powder and wormer, as neither should be necessary at this early stage.

I am a fan of making their chick crumble into a mash rather than feeding it dry and mixing in a scrambled egg and some natural (active) yoghurt occasionally will give them a treat and a nutritional boost. There is also less waste with a wet mash as they don't scatter it about so much like dry crumbles.

Good luck with them.

Regards

Barbara

 

[Folly's place]

My chicks go out to the coop at three weeks, in cold spring weather Michigan) and have a very well secured heat lamp in one corner of their coop. By about five weeks of age, they are feathered and don't need the heat lamp any more. That temporary brooder is way too small! They might be too hot in there, not good. Do you have amprolium treated chick starter? Here it's a good choice for chicks, at least until you know about possible coccidia in your yard. Mary

 

[Half a dozen]

Hi, I have a heat pad which is 15 inches long by 12inches wide. Will this surffice for in the coop for my 3? My birds aren't fond of anything other than the starter feed apart from a garden earth worm my daughter threw in for them and they all went nuts including the little one fighting over it. but i've tried boiled mashed up egg, green veg and brocoli and they all took one investegative peck and ignored it and happily dug wood shavings over it all until i eventually took it away. My pink poo bird is the small one, sh'es supposed to be the same age at 3 wks as the other two but proper tiny in comparison. She also has the occasional sneeze and is sleepier than the other two. I'm worried about her and don't really know what to do. The breeder keeps saying she's fine but i don't feel she's coping as well as the other two. Should i be worried? I think my two bigger birds would do ok in the coop with a heat source, but I'd be so upset if I put the little one out and she died of cold or something. The temp for the next week here in the north west of england is due to be 17/20 max but a bit of rain too. Thanks for any help

 

[azygous]

The heating pad will be plenty to keep all three chicks warm, including the small one. It sounds like the small one may have other issues contributing to its size. You may want to augment its food with some vitamins. We have a product especially formulated for chickens here in the US called Poultry Nutri-drench. It or something on that order would do your small chick a big favor.

My chicks have been raised under the heating pad system in temps down to freezing and did splendidly.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, yes you should be worried. How far away does the breeder live from you? Any chance to trade that one back for a healthy chick???? Consistently pink poop is not normal. I find it interesting that the breeder sold you a remedy that would treat both internal and external parasites. I'm not familiar with the product, but IMO, no sense to spend money on a product that you may NEVER need. Not being there at the time of the transaction, I can't say much. But, I think I would have held onto my wallet a bit tighter.

IF you haven't yet read it, check out this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors