Runt Chick?

[DesertBird]

I recently picked up some chicks from TSC, and they should be about 6 days old now. One of them (an Australorp) has a pasty butt every morning, which I make sure to clean for her, but she looks a bit smaller than the others to me. Have any of you had a chick like this, and did they make it?
I have my chicks outside in a tub in a shed, so it stays about 90-95 in there, and the poor thing seems to struggle a bit. None of the others pant, and they're all active, but this one chick pants at around the peak of the day's heat and doesn't run around quite as much as the others. (I add a frozen water bottle in one corner in case they get too hot.)
Is there anything I can do to help her? My grandpa doesn't want them inside, otherwise they'd be inside with a heat lamp.
Also, is there anything I can do to help prevent pasty butt for her? I've heard of using olive oil - is it effective, or can it cause any problems for the chick?

 

[peeper89]

to hot!
give water an wet chick food

 

[DesertBird]

to hot!
give water an wet chick food

I do. She just seems to be a little weaker than the others - it's kinda hard for me to explain. I keep them cool with a little rock I wet every half hour so they can stand on it, and I leave a frozen water bottle in, and add ice cubes to the waterer every half hour, too. Once they're a little bigger, I'll be adding a small tub with half an inch to an inch of water for them to stand in. By the time they're turned out to the coop, it'll be cooling down here.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi.

One chick having a harder time than others is NOT uncommon. Genetically even if from the same parents, they are individuals. And I have hatched enough times to tell you that chicks which hatch 12 hours or so later than the rest... 1 day can be the difference between life and death, especially in the wild. Fortunately they have us to help them catch up and adjust.

Olive oil can go rancid, but yes many do use it. I have used vaseline. Really keeping a good eye like you are is the best. It kinda helped more for removal than to actually stop it from happening. You MIGHT consider adding a fan behind your block of ice. Not sure though for chicks even though it used that way for older birds and rabbits in many locations.

Sometimes adding a little dose of boiled smashed egg will help to clear this pasty butt.

Can you open them up, so they aren't stuck in the tub in the shed? My chicks are on pasture in good weather by 3 days old! It might be easier to cool off in the shade than in the shed. The recommended temp to keep chicks is the hottest temp under the lamp with plenty of room to escape the heat while playing. I get you are trying already! But if you can protect them well enough from predators, outdoors will be better. They will start to PARTY with extra room and such. I free range because my aerial predator load is not TOO heavy. But for young chicks, I keep them still locked into a smaller area with a huddle box that they "home" to... recognize as safety. It provides shade when it warm but blocks wind and retains enough heat when it's cool.

Adding a pan of dirt to your current area might help them cool off a little, as the dirt MIGHT feel cooler than the air when they are playing in it, and trust me they WILL play in it!

It is unreal how hot my barn can get on warm days. And mind you, a HOT day to us is 75! Outdoor shade is awesome because it doesn't have a roof holding in extra heat and it allows for a little breeze. It is usually at least 10 degrees cooler in the shade than the ambient temp.

Good luck, I just know your babes are beauties!

 

[centrarchid]

Panting chick that is small is also having trouble breathing. I have yet to get such a chick make. The high heat may even be helping the chick hang on.

 

[DesertBird]

Hi.

One chick having a harder time than others is NOT uncommon. Genetically even if from the same parents, they are individuals. And I have hatched enough times to tell you that chicks which hatch 12 hours or so later than the rest... 1 day can be the difference between life and death, especially in the wild. Fortunately they have us to help them catch up and adjust.

Olive oil can go rancid, but yes many do use it. I have used vaseline. Really keeping a good eye like you are is the best. It kinda helped more for removal than to actually stop it from happening. You MIGHT consider adding a fan behind your block of ice. Not sure though for chicks even though it used that way for older birds and rabbits in many locations.

Sometimes adding a little dose of boiled smashed egg will help to clear this pasty butt.

Can you open them up, so they aren't stuck in the tub in the shed? My chicks are on pasture in good weather by 3 days old! It might be easier to cool off in the shade than in the shed. The recommended temp to keep chicks is the hottest temp under the lamp with plenty of room to escape the heat while playing. I get you are trying already! But if you can protect them well enough from predators, outdoors will be better. They will start to PARTY with extra room and such. I free range because my aerial predator load is not TOO heavy. But for young chicks, I keep them still locked into a smaller area with a huddle box that they "home" to... recognize as safety. It provides shade when it warm but blocks wind and retains enough heat when it's cool.

Adding a pan of dirt to your current area might help them cool off a little, as the dirt MIGHT feel cooler than the air when they are playing in it, and trust me they WILL play in it!

It is unreal how hot my barn can get on warm days. And mind you, a HOT day to us is 75! Outdoor shade is awesome because it doesn't have a roof holding in extra heat and it allows for a little breeze. It is usually at least 10 degrees cooler in the shade than the ambient temp.

Good luck, I just know your babes are beauties!

I'm planning on putting them out in a little circular pen tomorrow, as they should be a week old. It won't have a top on it, but it'll be in the front of the shed so there's shade from that, and also from a large eucalyptus tree. It's not really a shed, per say? It's an old horse stable thing, so it's got no door and it's huge - two cars could fit in it. Are they still too young, or is it okay to leave them in a circular pen (chicken wire that they can't get out of, will keep expanding it as they get bigger) until they go into the coop and run, and then later free range? Maybe I can find a box or a tub to cut a hole in for them to go into as an extra shelter thing for night time. I'll definitely put a dirt tub in their tub if they don't do well out in the mini pen. As for the circular pen, when would be a good time to start introducing them to the grass? Should I do 10-15 minute increments each day? I didn't let my last two groups of chicks outside until about 1-2 months old, which in hindsight I would change, but they're okay and do well out in the grass. They'd be within sight/maybe 10-15 ft of my other two flocks, who I plan to introduce to each other later this month or possibly next month, depending on the size difference - could this cause harm to the chicks?

It's been an insane couple of days here in my part of AZ - a small breeze, if any, and no clouds in the sky. The only fan I have is a huge like, industrial one? It's just a big circular fan that's too much for one room to handle, but I'll look into buying a desk fan or two so the breeze isn't too harsh on them. lol

 

[DesertBird]

Also, question on the wet chick feed - I put it out there for them about an hour ago, and when I went out there to check (I try to do hourly checks ), they were still eating it! I don't think they ever stopped. lol Should I remove it? They don't eat the dry food like this, and my other chickens don't constantly eat like this.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I start out with a couple of hours outdoors in the same fashion you describe the enclosure. And like I said, as early as 3 days. My broody's usually need to have their babes out by 3 days as well. So no I don't think they are too young. Usually after a few days to a week they are left out to pasture from as early as it's warm enough until it start's cooling of too much or around shortly after sunset but before dark. If you feel better with 10-15 minutes then go with your gut. Mine get free range with the big girls when it's too difficult for me to keep them in the flimsy 18' tall hardware cloth circle that connects to itself and sometimes gets blown down by the wind. Which is usually around 3 weeks depending on the group.

I would go one step further than wet feed... and ferment, check out the link in my signature. Made poo tremendously less stinky. My guess is though that you just happened to not see them break from eating. There have been times I was worried about the opposite, chicks not eating. But through observation discovered indeed I just wasn't seeing it. Also with multiple chicks, they may no be all eating or sleeping at the same time. But it probably ongoing. Plus your other chickens, though not constantly eating.. also aren't constantly growing right now. And I think the do constantly have access to forage, so you may just not recognize what they are doing is eating when they are out there digging around.

No, you are correct an industrial fan would definitely not work. I used to live in the irrigated desert of Bakersfield, CA.. so I can remember those dog days of summer that I imagine you are describing. is how we always felt!

Oh gosh... they added a new emoji!! (that's it) Wish they would bring back a couple of the old ones before the change to this format.

 

[DesertBird]

I start out with a couple of hours outdoors in the same fashion you describe the enclosure. And like I said, as early as 3 days. My broody's usually need to have their babes out by 3 days as well. So no I don't think they are too young. Usually after a few days to a week they are left out to pasture from as early as it's warm enough until it start's cooling of too much or around shortly after sunset but before dark. If you feel better with 10-15 minutes then go with your gut. Mine get free range with the big girls when it's too difficult for me to keep them in the flimsy 18' tall hardware cloth circle that connects to itself and sometimes gets blown down by the wind. Which is usually around 3 weeks depending on the group.

I would go one step further than wet feed... and ferment, check out the link in my signature. Made poo tremendously less stinky. My guess is though that you just happened to not see them break from eating. There have been times I was worried about the opposite, chicks not eating. But through observation discovered indeed I just wasn't seeing it. Also with multiple chicks, they may no be all eating or sleeping at the same time. But it probably ongoing. Plus your other chickens, though not constantly eating.. also aren't constantly growing right now. And I think the do constantly have access to forage, so you may just not recognize what they are doing is eating when they are out there digging around.

No, you are correct an industrial fan would definitely not work. I used to live in the irrigated desert of Bakersfield, CA.. so I can remember those dog days of summer that I imagine you are describing. is how we always felt!

Oh gosh... they added a new emoji!! (that's it) Wish they would bring back a couple of the old ones before the change to this format.

Alrighty, thanks! I'll probably have 'em out in their circle tomorrow then.

Another question.. I made a mistake with the wet feed. They managed to peck the lid off, with I'm assuming tremendous teamwork, and all of them got inside it and sat there as opposed to just their heads fitting through before. Now all of their little chests are covered in dried like mash? There's no actual food stuck to them, but they're looking very scruffy on their chests and have some bits of skin showing because it dried with their down clumped together. How the heck do I get this off? I know how to get poop off their little bums, but I tried the same method and it just doesn't seem to be coming off the same way, and I don't want to be too harsh on them.

 

[peeper89]

give dirt or sand they will tkae a bath for themselfs