[sailstransit]

Hi our chicken became a pround mum on the 11th of this month to 3 healthy chicks.
Yesterday Sat in the morning I went to feed and water them and I found one laid on the floor as though she was dying
So I took her indoors and made an incubator for her and drip fed water to her every half an hour and by 9pm last night she was standing and chirping very loud but the trouble is she will not eat can you help thanks Paul

[mrssittingduck]

Hi Paul, can I ask what you are feeding the chick on?

Also what temperature are you keeping the little one in...

When a chick gets cold it won't eat or will slow down on the eating,

I use ground up medicated chick crumbs and I grind it up that small it is almost like a powder as it makes it easy for even the weakest of chicks to eat, also if you have overfed on the water the chick may also feel full for a while until its crop starts to empty.. water doesn't take too long for it to digest so just keep the food their and keep him warm at around 35 degree Celsius I know itit should be used to lower temperatures by now but if it is ill the tempo will def help it, just make sure he stays hydrated, you can buy dioralyte around here for kids when they have had diorriah and sickness so they stay hydrated, I don't know what country you are in or if it is available their but if it isn't then their should be another form of medication that can be brought over the counter to keep the kids hydrated (make sure it is suitable for kids though! )

If like over here in the uk you have had cold snaps in the night and boiling hot temperatures in the day then this could be the reason why he is unwell,
The cold temperature could have got to him during the night or the heat of the day could have dehydrated him... or it could even be that one or more of the other chicks are picking on him...

Keep us updated on how he goes and the best of luck getting him to eat,
Also in his food you may want to add something shiny and colorful like marbles , this will attract him to peck at it
Or even if you can get them buy some mini meal worms from the pet shop they are guaranteed to love them and the movement may attract him to peck at them also ;)

Good luck
Katie

[MOWERMAN2468]

How long has it been since the chick last ate? You need to keep the little one warm as stated by the other poster, first and foremost. A chilled chick will die.

[mrssittingduck]

Birds can last a long time without food , the hydration is the main part, as long as he is kept hydrated the whole period he can go for rabout 2-3 weeks without food however at the point where he had nothing for a week I would be severely worried and start expecting the worst...
It does sound like the chick has been chilled... he needs to be kept warm and also when drip feeding him the water add sugar into the water and let it dissolve and feed the water warm, this will help him gain some energy, or if you have honey available honey is just as good mixed in the water :)

Best of luck
Katie

[Chickenmom23]

Well, sometimes the baby chick will not eat until the mother has properly taught it what is edible and what's not. Getting a baby chick to eat on its own without a mother figure can be a little difficult but there are some tricks to it. If you baby chick finally becomes attached to you, start pecking at the feed with you finger, and eventually he/she should pick up. Water is a little more easy. You can put marbles in the water dish and the chick will soon learn that this is where it is to go when it needs something to drink and the marbles can be removed. The marble trick does not work so well with the feed but it can be done. Like they said, just keep him warm, make sure he starys hydrated and that he at least gets some food inside him. Don't overheat him, and don't allow him to get chilled, because this can kill your chick really quick, and also make them a little more exposed to sickness because it weakens them. Good luck!

[susanet]

Is it cruel to have a chick on its own or will it get used to the idea?

[Alty]

Old thread. Closed.

Please check dates before posting, and please don't piggyback your question on someone else's thread. Start your own.

Thank you.