I have a batch of 5 week old chicks, bantam and standard size, the bantams are some sort of Hamburg cross, the standards are an I'm not sure yet. 7 were in the batch, and two were ITTY BITTY TEENY runts. They are now slightly larger, but still a third the size of their hatchmates. But almost all feathers are in on both.
Issue:
Because they were so tiny, I wet their crumble and set it in a small mason jar lid to start (they wete that small) and that got them originally eating. I moved up to a very small glass bowl 1.5 inches high. The trouble with that is they climb in and pack the feed down, and I was having to go in several times a day to restir and loosen it.
The rest of the chicks have now gone out to a stall in our barn with a light and are thriving, so I took their round metal feeder to try them eating dry out of it. Nope. Even back to the glass bowl but with dry, nope. They dance 8n it, scratch and fling it but won't eat it. Dry sprinkled on the floor? Nope.
So just when is sink or swim time? They can't have wet feed if in with their hatchmates, but I cant feed them wet and stir it forever while they l8ve in a brooder in my spare room.
Anybody else had experience with runts and this particular behaviour? Their cries of utter anguish without wet starter is driving me buggy, I refuse to be a mother hen forever. They need to leave and go to the barn.
Issue:
Because they were so tiny, I wet their crumble and set it in a small mason jar lid to start (they wete that small) and that got them originally eating. I moved up to a very small glass bowl 1.5 inches high. The trouble with that is they climb in and pack the feed down, and I was having to go in several times a day to restir and loosen it.
The rest of the chicks have now gone out to a stall in our barn with a light and are thriving, so I took their round metal feeder to try them eating dry out of it. Nope. Even back to the glass bowl but with dry, nope. They dance 8n it, scratch and fling it but won't eat it. Dry sprinkled on the floor? Nope.
So just when is sink or swim time? They can't have wet feed if in with their hatchmates, but I cant feed them wet and stir it forever while they l8ve in a brooder in my spare room.
Anybody else had experience with runts and this particular behaviour? Their cries of utter anguish without wet starter is driving me buggy, I refuse to be a mother hen forever. They need to leave and go to the barn.
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it works out soon for you!
, it's only been two issues from 3 chicks out of 15. The first one ended up fixed when I took the 'screamy' chick and put him with another younger batch, and the dominant pullet chick in the batch grabbed him by the neck feathers and held him down till he stopped squawking. Issue resolved - no more screeching and he's getting along/feathering well/plump, playing and running around with the rest.
blows my mind! I just told my husband again...I had no idea what I was getting myself into - n all I did was get up early and try to "coach" them outta the run to go to.playpen!
