- Sep 9, 2011
- 104
- 1
- 89
I have a situation that's just breaking my heart. We have some cornish cross babies, about 4.5 weeks old ( fully feathered ) and 2 are not doing well. To be honest, I'm kind if disappointed with the breed and will probably not get them again. It seems unnatural to me how they act, not very chicken like. Of my 13, two died within the first week. I have another with spraddle legs that I wasn't able to fix. It's significantly smaller than the others, it does eat and drink, but can't stand in it's legs, it's usually in a sideways splits position and basically drags itself everywhere. My husband says cull, I say keep alive as long as it's eating and drinking. Another chick is also smaller, but was doing fine until a couple of days ago. It's basically just lethargic. It doesn't want to eat or drink and just sits there, wings kind of hanging down. It doesn't chirp when I pick it up. I expected it to be dead this morning, but there it was, maybe a little more awake.
I process my own chickens, and these are to be raised for food, but I really, really don't want to cull baby chicks. I have no idea what to do. Any ideas on caring for the lethargic one? My friend and I split an order of 26 and she's lost all of her except 2, so I consider myself fortunate. Someone suggested feeding cooked eggs to them? Thought? Right now, they're separated from the others and back under the brooder light and that may be what's helping. They went outdoors ( screened in porch )in their big brooder 4 days ago, and spent two lights with the top covered, no light and one day in their outside pen, feet on the grass. Could it have been too soon for my smaller guy?
I process my own chickens, and these are to be raised for food, but I really, really don't want to cull baby chicks. I have no idea what to do. Any ideas on caring for the lethargic one? My friend and I split an order of 26 and she's lost all of her except 2, so I consider myself fortunate. Someone suggested feeding cooked eggs to them? Thought? Right now, they're separated from the others and back under the brooder light and that may be what's helping. They went outdoors ( screened in porch )in their big brooder 4 days ago, and spent two lights with the top covered, no light and one day in their outside pen, feet on the grass. Could it have been too soon for my smaller guy?