Found Chicks Alone

[Kuma1]

Ae these feral chckens? Where on this blue planet do you live (in general)?

Yes they are. I am on the east side of the Big Island- Hawaii about 7 miles from Pahoa. Pic below only shows a portion that comes around 3 times a day. Some are very friendly.

 

[BDutch]

I suppose with your temps they barely need a heat lamp to survive. Thats probably why the chicks survived before you found them and took them home.

Be careful not to give too much heat. Maybe only during the night. Best ask people with about the same climate what they need. Or search for a list with optimised temps for chicks. As long as they don’t peep from cold they are probably fine during the day without the extra heat, at least if they warm each other when they rest in between foraging an exploring.

Maybe the mother was not predated but left the nest with the first hatched to feed them and left a few eggs behind. If the temps are real warm (> ≈ 35 °c) chicks can hatch without a broody in the last days or even a whole week before hatch.

Make sure they get the opportunity to learn a bit about how to find their own food if you want to set them free after raising them. Take the chicks outside if you can, and dig for small insects to give to them, give small pieces of edible herbs and grasses, pieces of fruits etc. put water out where you want them to forage.

Please put Hawaii in your profile, its important info for the right advice.

 

[Kuma1]

Thanks. I ended up not getting a heat lamp. They are doing fine so far. I took care of a injured chcik before thes two. Food I got them has some dried up bugs, seeds, herbs plants. They are now scratching for the food. Run around, and flap their wings. They eat quite a bit. Inside the house they will roam around. If they lose sight of me, they will chirp loudly and I'll call so that they will come.
Saw the mother hen with the two chicks this morning but found one of her chicks dead in some water near afternoon. Not sure where to put stuff in profile Sorry about that.

 

[Clucktown]

If you are feeding something other than chick starter, they will need chick grit.

 

[kattabelly]

Not sure where to put stuff in profile Sorry about that.

Then scroll down and there'll be a bit where you can enter your location. Hit 'save' at the bottom of the page once you've done that.

 

[ktboy]

They need protein and vitamins-more than bread can provide. If you have a hen do you have chicken feed for it you could feed the chicks? Their own heat will not keep them warm since they cannot regulate their own body temperature without feathers. A heat lamp or brooder plate would be better. What are the night time temps where you are?

you need to feed them starter chicken food for 3-4 month min, to keep them warm if you do not have a heat ight, you can use a heating pad on low under bedding

 

[Kuma1]

Well, I bought the starter food and they didn't like it. They prefer the small seeds and the poultry treats - defend immune support formula. They really like the dried fly larvae. Sometimes I have them loose and they will peck on small bugs. They will chase a live one and eat it.

 

[kattabelly]

Well, I bought the starter food and they didn't like it. They prefer the small seeds and the poultry treats - defend immune support formula. They really like the dried fly larvae. Sometimes I have them loose and they will peck on small bugs. They will chase a live one and eat it.

They might need some help to work out that it is food if they've got used to eating other things. You could try sprinkling a few of the seeds or larvae on top to encourage them to peck at it, or serving it as a wet mash, or both. They'll probably be more likely to eat it if the treats and other things are only available later in the day and in small amounts.

 

[camoloc]

drive by chick drop off bastards.....

either way....in good hands now.

God bless


cam

 

[BDutch]

Well, I bought the starter food and they didn't like it. They prefer the small seeds and the poultry treats - defend immune support formula. They really like the dried fly larvae. Sometimes I have them loose and they will peck on small bugs. They will chase a live one and eat it.

Best skip the treats for a day or two until they eat the chick feed. Making the chick feed wet helps a lot. The treats are not balanced feed and your chick get health issues if you continue to give so much treats.

Start giving a little of the treats once or twice a day after they ate from the chick feed. Max 25% is a rule of thumb according to many BYC educators.