Question  What do I do?

Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Mon May 03, 2021 2:59 pm

Thanks @Kbr42 , yeah, when we got our first chicks last year, we had a couple weak ones, and a neighbour with hens recommended gatorade (electrolytes and sugar). It worked wonders (got them boosted with energy). I've got it (the weak chick) set up under the ecoglow brooder on my desk so I can watch it, and gave it a bit of sugar water (all i have on hand) but i will try and get some food into it's belly as well.

They do have vitamin water and medicated chick starter.

The circle of life and all, I guess. I feel like I already know the answer but like you said better to try to do something than nothing at all. If I was reading the mama hens behaviour right I feel like they were just casting it to the wind.
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WLLady
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Re: What do I do?

Post by WLLady » Mon May 03, 2021 6:03 pm

i have one very little one out of the ones that my sneaky broody chicken hatched too. We let nature takes its course here-but this one is smaller but faster than the rest and eating and drinking really well and i suspect is likely a light brown leghorn mix, and so will just naturally be smaller because the eggs are smaller. So far it doesn't seem to be struggling. Usually if i have one that is struggling i'll help with some booster vitamins and sugar water, and sometimes i'll soak up some chick feed (always medicated chick feed in any event) and if it doesn't start to come around in 3-4 days then leave things to mother nature. Usually they come around though really fast and i'll generally lose more birds to idiocy with the water trough than anything else. (yes there are bricks and rocks in the water so they can at least get footing and jump out if needed). Hopefully yours will rally, but if not, it happens....don't worry that you didn't do everything you could!
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Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Mon May 03, 2021 7:10 pm

I can get her to take sugar water but she would not take any scrambled eat even if I tried tidbiting it for her. :(
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Happy
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Happy » Mon May 03, 2021 10:44 pm

I've had success with raw egg yolk and an eye dropper. A drop at a time onto the beak. They will either suck it in and swallow or they won't. If they don't then I'd pop back under mom for the night and hope she drifts off in her sleep.
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Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Mon May 03, 2021 11:10 pm

Thanks @Happy , I did what I could - had her in her own area with the ecoglow brooder, but alas she passed. Appreciate the info good to know for next time. If i was to guess I would imagine she was one of the ones the aggro hen pecked at when I was placing them under the hens, there was a couple tense and what I considered quite rough moments :-/

Know for next time to do it under cover of night.
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Happy
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Happy » Tue May 04, 2021 6:30 am

Rossman wrote:
Mon May 03, 2021 11:10 pm
Thanks @Happy , I did what I could - had her in her own area with the ecoglow brooder, but alas she passed. Appreciate the info good to know for next time. If i was to guess I would imagine she was one of the ones the aggro hen pecked at when I was placing them under the hens, there was a couple tense and what I considered quite rough moments :-/

Know for next time to do it under cover of night.
Some just don't make it. You did your best.
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Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Tue May 04, 2021 6:35 am

On a more positive note, the mama hens are leading the chicks around the brooder and tidbiting for them, so everything else seems great!
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Kbr42
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Kbr42 » Tue May 04, 2021 1:48 pm

Sorry about your little one passing...you did all you could, some just don't make it.

Glad the Mom's are doing well. Good job!!
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Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Tue May 04, 2021 2:04 pm

Every so often a mama hen will dole out a rather vigourous peck to a chick and send it running...how concerned do I need to be? They don't seem to be targeting a chick i think it might just be discipline (though I cannot figure it out)
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Rossman
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Re: What do I do?

Post by Rossman » Tue May 04, 2021 2:18 pm

Maybe I should put something in the brooder the chicks can hide under for safety?
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