New pullets won't eat

[Toddrick]

Backstory:
I ordered two BR started pullets (16+ weeks) from Meyer. They arrived in a tiny box, and the tracking showed they had been in there without food/water for three days (although oddly there was almost no poo in the box). They were exceptionally quiet, yet appeared healthy. However, while they were drinking a lot, they had little interest in food.

Issue:
They aren't eating the starter feed from the feeder. They also are not having solid stool yet. I been manually feeding them boiled eggs, cracked corn, rye grain, and even the occasional slice of ham just to get them to eat something. They still appear healthy, except for diarrhea and the fact that they aren't eating their regular feed hardly at all.

So I'm probably going to treat their water with Corid powder tomorrow. But I'm wondering if maybe it is normal for shipped chickens to have these symptoms for more than a week?

 

[Mutt Farm]

Not normal. I ordered 4 started from McMurray and 5 day olds from Meyer. All made the long trip without issue. Did you add electrolytes to the H2O? That's important after a long trip. Maybe try a fresh bag of grow crumble and offer meal worms? Alfalfa or chicken treats? Your buffet might be a little too rich and varied for solid poopies.

 

[enola]

Are they eating the ham? And all of the other things you said you are tempting them with?

 

[Toddrick]

Yup, they are eating the treats, especially the ham. But if I withhold treats the feeder level still doesn't change.

I added Rooster Booster with electrolytes and probiotics to their water, which they've been drinking the whole time. My treats (basically all they are eating) do also include meal worms mixed with the cracked corn and rye. I try to mix the treats half and half with starter feed to get them to eat the feed, and that sort of works, but they pick out the other stuff pretty much.

They just don't seem to eat the feed, especially out of the feeder. I would expect them to eat a ton of food after starving for three days. Maybe it will just take longer for their appetite to recover than one week?

 

[enola]

Then they are eating. Personally, I think you need to stop all of the treats, in the morning they should be hungry. Feed them regular feed, after they have eaten, then offer them a SMALL amount of treats. Treats should not be more than 10% of their total diet.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Yup, they are eating the treats, especially the ham. But if I withhold treats the feeder level still doesn't change.

I added Rooster Booster with electrolytes and probiotics to their water, which they've been drinking the whole time. My treats (basically all they are eating) do also include meal worms mixed with the cracked corn and rye. I try to mix the treats half and half with starter feed to get them to eat the feed, and that sort of works, but they pick out the other stuff pretty much.

They just don't seem to eat the feed, especially out of the feeder. I would expect them to eat a ton of food after starving for three days. Maybe it will just take longer for their appetite to recover than one week?

I would expect them to be starving as well, not take longer. Sounds like you covered everything. Keep on till they're over the trip and eating well. Re: Corid I bump.

 

[Toddrick]

Then they are eating. Personally, I think you need to stop all of the treats, in the morning they should be hungry. Feed them regular feed, after they have eaten, then offer them a SMALL amount of treats. Treats should not be more than 10% of their total diet.

I don't go out to see them until noon each day, so they should have already eaten quite a bit of feed by then, but no. I never see them eat it when I stay out in the garage with them either. I want to get them outside but feel they need the protection of the air conditioned interior at least until they have a healthy appetite.

When my other chicks were half this age they would gorge on treats, and constantly nibble at the feeder too. I'm actually giving these pullets less treats than I did those chicks.

 

[Toddrick]

I just put them out in the yard in a temporary fence. They are making normal chicken sounds, albeit about half volume, and exhibiting typical behavior (scratching, tasting everything in site, etc). Both of their poop usually comes out looking like clear saliva, or sometimes has a couple tiny pellets in it as well, but far from normal. So I went ahead and dosed them some Corid, because I'm getting worried that they are losing too much weight. Any other suggestions? I'm doing everything I know, but am not making any progress.

 

[aart]

Maybe try soaking the chicken feed in water overnight, not necessarily fermented but just wet.

 

[Toddrick]

Maybe try soaking the chicken feed in water overnight, not necessarily fermented but just wet.

That was actually the first thing I tried. I'm still doing that, but it doesn't help much, if at all. They will pick out any treats and leave the feed alone. On the bright side, they ate a lot of grass and stuff yesterday and appear to be excellent foragers, plus I found a couple well formed poos. I just can't figure out why they won't eat their regular feed!