- Aug 11, 2011
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Hey y’all!
The new chicks that got here Wednesday are eating, drinking, and active. Two of them had a little pasty butt yesterday morning but it’s cleared up as of today (Friday). I have them on Arrive probiotic in their water and scratch and peck starter crumble. I offered them Scratch and Peck starter mash with chick grit yesterday but have decided to hold off on more of it for now as they just stepped in it.
I’m a little worried because this morning I noticed some reddish stool, and when I went to change their paper (they are on a washable puppy pad with paper towels on top) one of them had a stool with a bit of red jelly in it.
I know this can be a sign of cocci, but it can also be caused by stress, and they were just shipped here. Their behavior is otherwise normal. I use a nipple waterer and I change their feed out daily, and I change the paper towels in the morning, at lunch, and at night (at night I also remove and wash the puppy pad and replace it with a washed one). I also check their feet and gently wipe off excess poop with baby wipes, but three of them have feathered feet, so it’s not perfect.
Obviously, they are babies, so poop is everywhere. Their brooder is a large Rubbermaid tote I used when we raised quails, and it’s about 18in wide by 30in long. There are four of them, and they’re EE/silkie crosses so they’re not very big. I planned to move them into a larger playpen once they’re a week old; I assumed the smaller space was better for fresh babies. A couple of them still haven’t shed their yolk sack and they still have their egg tooth on their beak.
All this to say, should I get some cocci meds and dose their water? I assume I’d have to stop the Arrive supplement to do so. I don’t want to jump the gun and cause a vitamin deficiency by treating them if they don’t need it, but I also don’t want to wait until they’re critically ill. I feel like I’ve been very on top of keeping their pen as clean as it can be. I had assumed the smaller space was fine until they’re bigger and more confident in their environment.
My kids are really attached to these guys already so I’d appreciate if anyone could chime in. To be honest the last time I kept chicks I was not nearly this fastidious and they turned out fine, so I’m hoping I’m just paranoid.
The new chicks that got here Wednesday are eating, drinking, and active. Two of them had a little pasty butt yesterday morning but it’s cleared up as of today (Friday). I have them on Arrive probiotic in their water and scratch and peck starter crumble. I offered them Scratch and Peck starter mash with chick grit yesterday but have decided to hold off on more of it for now as they just stepped in it.
I’m a little worried because this morning I noticed some reddish stool, and when I went to change their paper (they are on a washable puppy pad with paper towels on top) one of them had a stool with a bit of red jelly in it.
I know this can be a sign of cocci, but it can also be caused by stress, and they were just shipped here. Their behavior is otherwise normal. I use a nipple waterer and I change their feed out daily, and I change the paper towels in the morning, at lunch, and at night (at night I also remove and wash the puppy pad and replace it with a washed one). I also check their feet and gently wipe off excess poop with baby wipes, but three of them have feathered feet, so it’s not perfect.
Obviously, they are babies, so poop is everywhere. Their brooder is a large Rubbermaid tote I used when we raised quails, and it’s about 18in wide by 30in long. There are four of them, and they’re EE/silkie crosses so they’re not very big. I planned to move them into a larger playpen once they’re a week old; I assumed the smaller space was better for fresh babies. A couple of them still haven’t shed their yolk sack and they still have their egg tooth on their beak.
All this to say, should I get some cocci meds and dose their water? I assume I’d have to stop the Arrive supplement to do so. I don’t want to jump the gun and cause a vitamin deficiency by treating them if they don’t need it, but I also don’t want to wait until they’re critically ill. I feel like I’ve been very on top of keeping their pen as clean as it can be. I had assumed the smaller space was fine until they’re bigger and more confident in their environment.
My kids are really attached to these guys already so I’d appreciate if anyone could chime in. To be honest the last time I kept chicks I was not nearly this fastidious and they turned out fine, so I’m hoping I’m just paranoid.
