Help - have a baby chick.... | ExpatWoman.com
 

Help - have a baby chick....

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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:04

Long story.......but we saved a baby chick, have no idea how old it is but it' s tiny!! What can I feed it, what do I do???

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 20:03
they often get stomach blockages, as they try to eat anything, and if you put sawdust in they will eat that and clog themselves. Sometimes they just drop dead without warning.... dont blame yourself
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 20:00
Oh Plumie, little miss is ok. Thankfully she didn't see it and I told her the mommy chicken came to fetch her!! Oh essqueue...if I had only known :( :( I have no idea how old she was.... Really only 2 out of 6 survive...WOW! ust wish I knew what happened :(
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 19:41
I wish I had known, I keep baby chicks and could have advised you:( or taken it to be with mine, although my youngest one is now 3 weeks old and fighting for his pieces of celery. ETA about 2 out of 6 survive their first 2 weeks.. <em>edited by essqueue on 07/02/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 18:49
Thanks hon xxx Know it seems so silly but we really grew attached to the little thing... xxx Aaawww, sorry to hear that :( How is Little Miss taking it? {{{HUGS}}} to the both of you xxx
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 18:46
It's completely normal to feel loss over your little chick-a-dee :( She was part of the family!
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 18:38
Thanks hon xxx Know it seems so silly but we really grew attached to the little thing... xxx
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 18:35
No love, there's nothing you could have done. We took baby chicks home when I was at school for a Biology assignment and unfortunately about 1/4 didn't survive :( Whether it be environmental or just genetic - sometimes they just don't make it babe (((hugs))) hope there's not too many tears at home tonight for your little chick.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 17:40
:( :( :( she didn't make it bowbellscowbells!! I'm totally beating myself up about this!!! Would she have been better off with some fully grown chickens? Would they have "adopted" her as their own? Don't know what went wrong...... :(
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 05 February 2011 - 22:52
She will just scratch around - bring in a scoop of garden dirt and put it on the floor( on the paper obviously) - just gives them something to get excited about .. she will eat and eat and eat mostly all day but they do love to scratch around so .. not sure if you have garden access .. give it a bit of outside space time ..when shes about 18 weeks she should start to lay .. so she will need a roosting post .. she will love being outside .. but they do need shade ..chickens pant just like dogs to keep cool .. they also dust bathe to stop the mites itching .. but they also sunbathe .. I kid you not ..when she gets proper feathers - you can "clip"the first 3-4 by about 2" this will stop her flying around your neighbours gardens ..if your going to keep her/him -they do their own pedicures by scratching about .. if she can't scratch around he she will need her nails clipping, also scratching and pecking stops their beaks from overgrowing .. good luck & hope it's a she x I do hope you have a hen - just be prepared if she starts crowing .. cockerals can be aggresive
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 February 2011 - 15:12
Wow! Over 100 chickens you really do know your stuff! Looks like we have a girl. She has only 4 toes second from the left is the longest...Thanks so muh for all your advice! She loves the crushed corn and is eating up a storm, is it ok to just leave food for her and she'll eat when she wants to? I have NOOO idea re hens and eggs hehehe! Would really like to keep her actually, getting attached already but not sure if we can..when she gets big what do we do with her? Feel bad keeping her outside in the heat in the Summer...I couldn't!! Will keep in touch thanks again for all your advice!! xx
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 February 2011 - 09:17
OOOHH .. great news... Used to keep chickens - we had over 100 in the UK ..all hens bar two cockerals .. from buff orpingtons to black rocks.. great pets ...xxx it's possibly 2-3 weeks old approx-they stay fluffy for approx 18 days .. No Sugar ..... Absolutely no sugar .. Its a refined food ..and completely unnessesary unless its dying from shock .. I used to put the chicks out asap on grass .. it will scratch around and eat any grit which is also really important- aids digestion ..Put it in a rabbit run or similar otherwise it will roost and you'll never find it in a garden .. (when it has full feathers- no down)They LOVE greens and cooked hard veg ie carrots swede turnips potatoes etc and lettuce,spinach but most will just grub around outside - great for slugs, caterpiller eating when they get full feathers - and will eat all..foodstuffs when they start to lay ..Laying starts around 18 weeks .. at this point you will know if you have a cockeral !!!! and you can *** it at around 8 weeks or at hatching if you know what your looking for. and I know it sounds silly but it will probably adopt you as Mum .. so speak to it or cluck to it ..it will recognise your clucking and come running ... incredibly funny and cute ..especially if it is a hen - I am looking on the dark side though .. most pet food is male - they are sexed as soon as they hatch so you probably do have a cockeral .. great alarm clock :) great work with the oats - any cereal without sugar is good .. just blend ..xxx <em>edited by bowbellscowbells on 04/02/2011</em>
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 04 February 2011 - 07:24
Hi Greenish, thanks for asking- he's doing well!! Wow bowbellscowbells - you know your stuff!!! Ok, hope you don't mind some questions...... :) I'll check the feet to see if it's a hen or cockeral, thanks for that! We leave loads of water for it, I read you can put a tiny bit of sugar in the water is that ok? Re food I have been giving it som oats crushed up into a fine powder...hope I haven't harmed it. Will go off today for some chicken feed (if they open) Otherwise will crush up the popping corn! Eyes are open yes, and it has downy baby feathers and the wings are already getting new proper feathers, how old do you reckon it is? I have put a hot water bottle that has a warm fluffy covering on the side of the basket and towels on the rest - if better to take out the bottle I will. He's a real jumper though, gets out often hehehe!!
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 04 February 2011 - 05:34
Oh, I didn't realise they could gas them, I thought it might leave residues in the body that could be harmful to whatever ate them. Only 5.30am and I've learnt something today :)
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 February 2011 - 23:43
Just out of curiosity, how are chicks, mice etc killed when used for food? gassed normally .. they are sexed first and the males(cockerals) are gotten rid of .Or male mice for that matter ..same fate ..
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 03 February 2011 - 23:41
Long story.......but we saved a baby chick, have no idea how old it is but it' s tiny!! What can I feed it, what do I do??? it will eat chicken feed immediatley .. a pet store will stock pellets or chicken crumb .. it needs to be crumbed .. so if you can only get pellets put it into a blender and mash up - do not wet the crumb(it will go mouldy in hours and ferment ...) - make sure it has plenty of water - this needs to be a shallow dish - normally they stand in it .. so if you intend to keep it then please invest in a water feeder .. they do specialist water feeders like hampster or gineau *** or rabbit water feeders- please dont feed it Human food - ie eggs (common misconception - it will feed of the yolk whilst in the egg shell but once out it's absolutely no use .. plus if it is a hen to will "teach it "to eat egg yolk .. not good if you want the eggs to eat )... or bread - its crop will not be able to digest this food stuff - if your desperate and cannot get chicken feed then buy corn .. popping corn and blend until fine crumb ..Dont worry if you havent got any food today - it will survive on water for a day .. does it have feathers ? and eyes open ? you may have a cockeral ... check the length of its toes .. it will have four protruding forward and one behind - the centre toe should be the longest - if the second toe to the right is longer than the centre toe .. you have a cockeral ..warmth is a neccesity - a cupboard inside with a small box will suffice .. a hot water bottle is not good.. a towel will suffice.. a heat lamp is good .. but i've not seen them here so far .. then make sure there is plenty of water to drink - you will be surprised how much they drink ..
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 03 February 2011 - 16:45
How's the wee fluffy one doing, pingu?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:51
Remember you'll hae to get up in the night to replace the hot water in his bottle to keep him warm. Think the idea of taking him to posh pets is a fab idea.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:51
Hmmm...... obviously they can't be gassed or injected with anything if they're to be used as food so I wondered if they were drowned. My stepbrother had a snake and my stepmum used to buy frozen mice for it. I pondered this question then.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:47
Sanddy Dog... in the uk a lady we knew had snakes, birds of prey etc and she got her dead mice and chicks from a laboratory her son worked at!!!!!!
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:43
http://www.ehow.com/how_7683314_care-feed-baby-chicks.html Maybe if you have a little fluffy toy too so it can huddle into it. Thanks for clarifying posh paws Greenish :)
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:40
Just out of curiosity, how are chicks, mice etc killed when used for food?
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:38
Poor thing, will be chirping for its mum. Put a hot water bottle under the towel if you have one. I wonder if Posh Paws ( the petting zoo place) would take it for you. I'm sure there are threads on here with their details. Good idea Hotpot... http://www.poshpawsdubai.com/
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:30
Chocs01 - each to their own. Thanks Greenish got him warm will try the egg yolk, have the hot water bottle too hotpot x <em>edited by Pingu on 02/02/2011</em>
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:28
Poor thing, will be chirping for its mum. Put a hot water bottle under the towel if you have one. I wonder if Posh Paws ( the petting zoo place) would take it for you. I'm sure there are threads on here with their details.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:25
It's a baby chicken, ome idiots at DH work bought it to feed their python!!! DH took it out the cage......it's just chirping all the time unless I hold it..... What do you expect Pythons to eat? Chicks and live mice are the norm. Chicks that small very rarely survive more than a few days. Live feeding is cruel. Pet pythons should be fed with dead animals that have been humanely killed.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:24
It's a baby chicken, ome idiots at DH work bought it to feed their python!!! DH took it out the cage......it's just chirping all the time unless I hold it..... What do you expect Pythons to eat? Chicks and live mice are the norm. Chicks that small very rarely survive more than a few days.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:22
Bed it on something like a towel...not slippery like newspaper. keep it warm. Until you can get to a vet or produce place for feed, give it water with a little sugar dissolved in it. You *can* feed some hard boiled egg yolk if it's only a few days old.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:16
It's a baby chicken, ome idiots at DH work bought it to feed their python!!! DH took it out the cage......it's just chirping all the time unless I hold it.....
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:07
More details Pingu please..... mother could be searching for it?
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 02 February 2011 - 17:06
what kind of bird is it??
 
 

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