Baby chick isn’t good at eating

[L1989]

I’m back with my 5th question. These tiny fluffs have been a source of constant worry. I have one chick that is a lot smaller than the rest, and isn’t very good at eating. She will just stand and stare at the food and maybe peck at it once or twice, while the rest of the chicks are just constantly gobbling down food. She drinks fine though. She is smaller than the rest and I’m worried she won’t make it if she doesn’t start eating. I’ve tried separating her and giving her her own food, which helped a bit. She would take a couple bites and then just go to sleep. I’ve also given her electrolytes which seemed to help a bit but she still doesn’t eat much. I’ve also tried soaking the feed and giving her gruel but she wasn’t interested in it. I might try scrambling some egg yolk, but I have a feeling she won’t be interested in that either. I know some chicks just don’t thrive, maybe something is wrong with her brain and she will never figure it out but I’ve grown attached and really want her to make it! How do I get her to start eating?!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

I’m back with my 5th question. These tiny fluffs have been a source of constant worry. I have one chick that is a lot smaller than the rest, and isn’t very good at eating. She will just stand and stare at the food and maybe peck at it once or twice, while the rest of the chicks are just constantly gobbling down food. She drinks fine though. She is smaller than the rest and I’m worried she won’t make it if she doesn’t start eating. I’ve tried separating her and giving her her own food, which helped a bit. She would take a couple bites and then just go to sleep. I’ve also given her electrolytes which seemed to help a bit but she still doesn’t eat much. I’ve also tried soaking the feed and giving her gruel but she wasn’t interested in it. I might try scrambling some egg yolk, but I have a feeling she won’t be interested in that either. I know some chicks just don’t thrive, maybe something is wrong with her brain and she will never figure it out but I’ve grown attached and really want her to make it! How do I get her to start eating?!

How to make food small enough for weaklings:
-toast bread until crumbly
-crush or blend or grate the bread until thin and dusty
Now you have very small crumbs suitable for small chicks. Wet your finger and dip it in the crumbs. Let the weakling eat it off your finger.
This is what I did with this one and it worked

Hope this helped

 

[L1989]

Thank you I will try that! I might also try putting egg yolk in a syringe and just putting some on her beak.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Make sure she is drinking too. Dip her beak in the water, put her upright, let her swallow, repeat until she jerks her head (she doesn't want more)

 

[L1989]

She seems to be drinking ok. I think that must be what’s kept her alive so far, since I mixed some vitamins and electrolytes into her water.

 

[NatJ]

You can gently feel her crop, to see how full or empty it is. Compare with the other chicks to get an idea of what is normal. The crop is the sack or pouch on the front, near the base of the neck, where the food goes when they eat. It is often flat and empty when they wake up, bulging round and full right before bedtime, and somewhere in between most of the day.

I have seen a few chicks that didn't eat when I was watching, but had enough food in their crops when I checked, so I did not worry and they grew up just fine. From what you say, your chick probably does need to eat more, but gently checking the crop can be an easy way to be sure.

You did not state what kind of chicks you have. Is she a different kind than the others? Some breeds just do eat more than others (Cornish Cross are the extreme example, as they eat a lot more than other chickens, and also grow much faster.)

 

[L1989]

Thank you I will check! They are all red sex-links.

 

[L1989]

So I mixed an egg yolk in with some electrolyte vitamin water and gave it to her with a syringe, and a few hours later I saw her trying to eat on her own! So maybe she just needs an energy boost and she will eventually figure it out