Hi
This is our first time having chickens and we got 2 batches a month apart.
1st batch doing awesome (besides getting a roo). As we were cleaning the cage that the older chicks were in (we placed 1st batch in their coop and going to place 2nd batch in cage) anyway.. We sanitized everything and placed shavings, water, food and chicks in there, but we didn't get up a draft shield before we had to put kids to bed, when we came back out to work on it again a stray cat got into the garage and cornered a chick in the cage and tore up her back (many punctures, a gaping hole with bone and lots of flesh showing on back/wing). We cleaned her up and kept her inside away from others, and she got better and then we decided today's the day to take her out for a while and right before we did that she pecked open all her wounds. So we started over and cleaned her up and kept inside longer. This time she left them all alone and was 99% covered in feathers again (her wing doesn't move much, not much flesh between skin and bone and is much smaller than same age and breed of other chicks) so we took her outside as we moved our second batch now into the coop it's getting chilly in Michigan and was hoping in a week or two she would acclimate to weather and other chicks. Well she was doing great and them all of a sudden she's cornered by older chickens and pecked all open again. Now our 2nd batch of chicks won't come out of the coop and into the run. So I'm asking...
1. Will this chick ever be okay outside with others?
2. Should we not chance until she is fully covered in feathers (you couldn't see skin at all, the feathers just weren't very long yet this last time)
3. Does it really take this long for them to heal (she has been inside almost her whole life and now 7 weeks old) or is she not healthy enough?
4. We have been doing iodine and neosporin. Any other good suggestions that would really help?
5. Will she ever lay or catch up weight wise with others to defend herself (I'm okay with her not laying, we have become attached to her with being inside, but don't want a bad life for her being alone etc)
6. How long for my 1st and 2nd batch to get "along" and for them to come out of coop.
We placed their cage in the coop for a week to get them use to the older chicks but have protection and to get them use to weather before the michigan cold sets in!
Thanks in advance for the help!!
This is our first time having chickens and we got 2 batches a month apart.
1st batch doing awesome (besides getting a roo). As we were cleaning the cage that the older chicks were in (we placed 1st batch in their coop and going to place 2nd batch in cage) anyway.. We sanitized everything and placed shavings, water, food and chicks in there, but we didn't get up a draft shield before we had to put kids to bed, when we came back out to work on it again a stray cat got into the garage and cornered a chick in the cage and tore up her back (many punctures, a gaping hole with bone and lots of flesh showing on back/wing). We cleaned her up and kept her inside away from others, and she got better and then we decided today's the day to take her out for a while and right before we did that she pecked open all her wounds. So we started over and cleaned her up and kept inside longer. This time she left them all alone and was 99% covered in feathers again (her wing doesn't move much, not much flesh between skin and bone and is much smaller than same age and breed of other chicks) so we took her outside as we moved our second batch now into the coop it's getting chilly in Michigan and was hoping in a week or two she would acclimate to weather and other chicks. Well she was doing great and them all of a sudden she's cornered by older chickens and pecked all open again. Now our 2nd batch of chicks won't come out of the coop and into the run. So I'm asking...
1. Will this chick ever be okay outside with others?
2. Should we not chance until she is fully covered in feathers (you couldn't see skin at all, the feathers just weren't very long yet this last time)
3. Does it really take this long for them to heal (she has been inside almost her whole life and now 7 weeks old) or is she not healthy enough?
4. We have been doing iodine and neosporin. Any other good suggestions that would really help?
5. Will she ever lay or catch up weight wise with others to defend herself (I'm okay with her not laying, we have become attached to her with being inside, but don't want a bad life for her being alone etc)
6. How long for my 1st and 2nd batch to get "along" and for them to come out of coop.
We placed their cage in the coop for a week to get them use to the older chicks but have protection and to get them use to weather before the michigan cold sets in!
Thanks in advance for the help!!
