We lost our first chick today Update: more are dying :(

[Livinwright Farm]

As an extra booster for the little ones, medium-hard boil some eggs, mash up the yolk with a little water and their medicated feed. It gives them extra fat and protein to help them get a great start.

 

[seminolewind]

I know chick crumbles are small but grind them up smaller. I've had several chicks go hungry because of this, lucky that I caught on.

 

[bock]

The chicks seem to be eating the crumbles just fine. I am boiling an egg right now, do I just give them the yolk or the white too?

 

[seminolewind]

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I thought mine were eating too, but they weren't. I've been thru this with 4 hatches, so I feel it's worth mentioning. You can give them the white part with the yolk.

 

[bock]

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I thought mine were eating too, but they weren't. I've been thru this with 4 hatches, so I feel it's worth mentioning. You can give them the white part with the yolk.

Okay thanks, I will crush up their food a little more.

 

[bock]

I gave them their egg. I crushed up the yolk, half the white, chick starter, a little gamebird starter, water, and some vitamin and electrolyte powder and mixed it all together. They weren't very interested in it at first, so I took out the chick starter and left them with just the egg mix. I will take it out either tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope it gives them a boost!

By the way, I still can't get the Black Star to eat, but she drinks when I put her near the water. She sleeps a lot, but perks up when you tap her. I hope she pulls through!

 

[littlegorb]

i have a maran hatched on 2/21. arrived int the mail on wednesday 2/23 and out of 25 chicks she is weak. i put her on my lap and gave her powerade which she loves. then i gave her milk, she turned up her beak. she has had a few bites of food but i had to separate her from the rest, and hold the powerade up to her to drink. otherwise she won't drink. so i'm having to sit with her often to make sure she drinks.

 

[Livinwright Farm]

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I just give mine the yolk mixed with the crumbles and a little water.
I give the white to my dogs. I have a dog that can't have the added protien. She has CECS-Canine Epileptoid Cramping Syndrome(used to be known as Spike's disease)... the extra protien causes her to have epileptic episodes.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Sometimes it takes a while for new chickies to realize that an unfamiliar substance is actually delicious food. It's fun to watch them crown around the dish, nudging each other "will you try it? I don't want to try it! I'll try it if you try it first!" Then when a few of them actually do try it, and the others see that it hasn't harmed them, then they all want some too. Chicks raised by Mama hens learn from them what is good for eating. She'll scratch up things and call them to her "Buk-buk-buk-buk!" and the chicks come running to her. She won't actually put the food in their beaks, the way song birds do, but she'll break up big things into smaller bits, and sometimes pick up a bit and drop it in front of the chicks. So when I'm introducing brooder chicks to new food I'll tap the dish with my finger and say "Buk-buk-buk-buk!" and pick up bits and drop them in front of their faces. It seems to help them learn to try new foods.

 

[bock]

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I 'peck' food with my finger too.

They really were not very interested though, and when I put the crumbles in there they all scrambled to get some. Those 30 minutes without chick crumbles must have been torture!

I sprinkled some of the egg on top of the crumbles to see if that would catch their attention.