What do I do? Really stuck, please help!

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Hatcher1997

Chirping
May 1, 2022
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have a bit of a dilemma I need some help with please!

I got given what I thought were two Muscovy ducks however one hatched and turned out to be a chicken. The other one which is a Muscovy is still incubating. Set up the brooder, everything going well except it’s constant crying and frantic looking around as if it was lonely, I’m running on 2 hours sleep the last two days due to the relentless squealing crying. I then took advice and got another chick, one day older from another farm. The original chick hated it and kept pecking it’s eyes whilst the other would stand and freeze and not defend itself. It started on its feet and would do it whilst it was trying to sleep and also steal its food. I separated them in the same brooder but with a cardboard cutout between them, the brinsea glow on one side and a red bulb on the other. I was up from 12am until 5am trying to get them to stop crying, had to eventually switch them over and turn the bulb off and use a hot water bottle for the other and it preferred that and fell asleep. I’ve woken up today and tried to put them back together to no Advil, it just won’t take to the chick. So I’ve put them in two separate boxes, one is calm the other is frantically crying. One has had a throthy poo just now, but the one after that was hard? So not sure what to make of it, and the second chick I’ve heard a few sneezes from? Both eating and drinking fine. I’m just lost with what to do now. Thank you
 
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I am so sorry, this sounds very stressful. I am not experienced enough to do anything other than give you a hug and hope it all sorts itself out.
Other things I have read on here though may give you some ideas:
- Are you sure the crying is loneliness and not too hot or too cold? Observe behavior around the heat - is it trying to stay under the heat or get away from it.
- If loneliness I have seen people here give the chicks a mirror - apparently it really works to make them feel they are not alone
Good luck and I hope you and your babies get through this.
 
Do you have pictures? What diet are the chicks on? My best advice would be to give one away or to get more. Is it too hot for the chicks? Do you think the chick is sick? Are they getting a dust bath? How old are they? Is it pecking order or is it bullying? Did you get them from a breeder? Is the behavior more like a rooster? Do you know what the chick's breed might be, what are his colors?
 
I am so sorry, this sounds very stressful. I am not experienced enough to do anything other than give you a hug and hope it all sorts itself out.
Other things I have read on here though may give you some ideas:
- Are you sure the crying is loneliness and not too hot or too cold? Observe behavior around the heat - is it trying to stay under the heat or get away from it.
- If loneliness I have seen people here give the chicks a mirror - apparently it really works to make them feel they are not alone
Good luck and I hope you and your babies get through this.
Thank you, I went into this so excited, it’s been my first time, but all I’ve done is cry and I’ve had no sleep in two days, so when the first one hatched, and was on its own, it was frantically looking around trying to find something in there with it and would not settle unless it was in my neck for 5 hours until I put it back in there, I’ve got thermometers underneath it’s lamp and it’s perfect temp with lots of room to move away from it, it’s bordered up, I have blankets etc. it got to the point it was just pecking at the cardboard for hours at the wall and would just squeel. I got it a friend and it just hates it…it just pecks at the mirror and pushes it over, pushes teddy’s over aggressively and pecks it. It at one point got on top of the glow plate and tries to launch itself off the top out of the brooder…it’s relentless
 
Thank you, I went into this so excited, it’s been my first time, but all I’ve done is cry and I’ve had no sleep in two days, so when the first one hatched, and was on its own, it was frantically looking around trying to find something in there with it and would not settle unless it was in my neck for 5 hours until I put it back in there, I’ve got thermometers underneath it’s lamp and it’s perfect temp with lots of room to move away from it, it’s bordered up, I have blankets etc. it got to the point it was just pecking at the cardboard for hours at the wall and would just squeel. I got it a friend and it just hates it…it just pecks at the mirror and pushes it over, pushes teddy’s over aggressively and pecks it. It at one point got on top of the glow plate and tries to launch itself off the top out of the brooder…it’s relentless
But now I’ve separated them, the original one is fine, and the new one is lonely and is used to the flock it came from, so I’m now just completely stuck
 
Do you have pictures of them? What it the temperature of the brooder? Chicks will cry a lot if they are to hot or to cold. It also sounds like one may be sick. I'm so sorry that you are having to deal with this. It most be so stressful. :hugs
Well there’s two brooders now as I’ve fully separated them, last night it was just separated with a wall of cardboard, and I tried to put them back together this morning but it just bullies it. One is under a lamp which is happily sat under, at 35 degrees on the themometer. The other one I’ve had to temporarily use a recycling box until my partner comes home after work with a bigger box as I don’t drive. So that one’s under a glow plate, which I bought yesterday, it slept under it all night absolutely fine, but to be honest it doesn’t warm up quite like the lamp would, they have to really press their backs against the top to be warm, and when you place your hand to touch the kitchen roll underneath it’s barely warm, but I can’t lower it anymore. Since the throthy poo it’s had hard poos again? So could that have just been nothing?
 
Yes it’s a Muscovy with about 13 days left until it hatches
Oh Lordy this is certainly complicated! I don’t know anything about ducks so I don’t know if the new duck will be a good chick companion or not.
Of the chicks I got confused. Is it the first one or the new friend that pecks the mirror? Remember chickens explore everything with their beaks, so are you sure pecking the mirror is a sign of upset? It might just be ‘getting to know you’ sort of pecks.
 

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