Week Old Sebright chirpper

[Brandon W]

I’ve never raised a bantam. Saw this darling chick at the Coastal Farm store, and recognized its breed. I’ve wanted a Golden Sebright ever since I started with chickens three years ago, but don’t have space for a shipment of the chicks. I’ve got 3 other chicks of normal breed size, and they are growing just fine, and I believe the bantam is too. However, what I don’t understand is why she sleeps more than any other baby chick I’ve raised. It’s not the sleeping all the time it’s the non-stop vocals while sleeping. We also have to manually feed her (yes my wife does this bless her heart, and was trained by our farm vet) we feed her enough that we can feel the bits in her gullet.

She seems to try hard to eat, but sometimes the food bounces away from her and she doesn’t give chase, just gives up. Then lays there. Chirping. So we feed her, and snuggle her a bit, but all the sleeping and manual feeding and chirping is starting to bother me.

We have done: warm sugar water. Warm molasses water, Electrolytes water. Manual feeding her. We have done watered down warm yogurt mash. We are always feeding her. And always hydrating her. She doesn’t have pasty butt, doesn’t show signs of vent swelling to show she is blocked up. Right now she is simply breathing normal, chittering softly, and asleep on my lap.

My other birds...are forager masters. They kick the feed out of the feeder and eat it off the ground. The bin they are in has a side that is 90, and the other end is about 80. They move freely about the area sleeping or playing where they want. The bantam...she doesn’t seem to be seeking comfort under the lamp, or away, but is quite when I hold her. Any advice (oh and my wellsummer chick typically tries to sleep near this bantam, but well the twittering seems to drive the others to sleep away from her.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Are her poops normal? Have you tried giving her scrambled egg?

Do you know if the store had another one left? I wonder if she might do better to have a companion her size. She may be intimidated by the bigger kids which is why she's trained you to pull her aside.

 

[Brandon W]

Goofy thing: so I went back to the store, bought a second Sebright. Mind you my first is now two weeks old, and tried to attack the new one. After a dose of “peck no more” on the head of the new one my elder Sebright has been cordial with the youngling. Now the two eat together. On top of that it is only the two bantams together. My big girls are being raised separately. After all they are 4x the size. Anyways. Yes no more force feeding. Also of interesting note. The elder bantam and the 3 bigger breads had zero clue about meal worms. I dropped one down with this new addition and she of all the birds new to eat it. Funny. New bantam smartest chick I’ve ever raised. Thank you, I was worried for nothing

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'm glad you got her a friend. I almost guarantee they will be best friends now Fingers crossed they are both girls.