How do I know if my chick is sick?

shalynnbrothers said:

They have fresh new bedding and I freshen their water often (and use a probiotic chick boost). I also check the temp of the brooder as often as possible. I am gone for 7 hours out of the day to go to work and can't be there to keep the temp of the brooder right as the heat of the day changes. Maybe it gets slightly too warm while I'm gone? Or maybe he's just be a lazy sleepy chicken? I wish they could just tell me what they need

Anyways, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!

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Sometimes I can find relatively inexpensive min-max thermometers - you might try setting one in the brooder (where the chicks cannot get into trouble with it) and see, when you get home, what the temps were.

casportpony said:

Read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mergency-and-supportive-care-updated-1-3-2016

Chick aren't lazy.

-Kathy

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Thank you! I read it... It's just so hard to diagnose when he/she is so little (only 6 days old). I haven't seen it poop at all so I can't say what it looks like. There's no injuries of any kind and I don't know how to tell if anything is swollen. He appears to be fine other than the fact that he sleeps longer and more often than the others and then they run around and play he might peck at the bedding a little with them but will quickly lose interest and casually walk to another spot and sleep again. I'll definitely keep an eye out for poop!

casportpony said:

@shalynnbrothers
 , you might find some helpful info here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mergency-and-supportive-care-updated-1-3-2016

Pictures of chick, it's poop and it's belly wold be helpful.

-Kathy

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How do I post pictures!? I finally saw its poop!

I got pictures but my app isn't letting me post them!

casportpony said:

@shalynnbrothers
 , you might find some helpful info here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...mergency-and-supportive-care-updated-1-3-2016

Pictures of chick, it's poop and it's belly wold be helpful.

-Kathy

Click to expand...

I posted pictures!

Your chick looks very sick to me. Hard to say what from, but it could be coccidiosis, though I'm not sure they can get it that young. One of the poop pictures looks like some coccidiosis poop I've seen. Good news is that it's pooping, that means you can rule out an obstruction.

How warm is your brooder?

-Kathy

A brooder should be set up so the chicks can regulate their own temps by moving toward/away from the heat source. If the cold side of the brooder is too warm, it can cause just as many problems as if the warm side was too cold, so you may want to check and see if you have a proper temperature gradient going on.

If it's possible to set up an individual brooder for the sick one, that would be a good idea. You would have a better chance at monitoring and providing individual treatment. If you can't, then I would put sheets of white paper towels over your bedding so you can have a look at poop consistency. It's difficult to do this when it mixes into the bedding and the paper towels will still give everyone enough traction.

The booster you are giving seems to be decent. Make sure the sick one is actually consuming it. If you think it might be dehydrated( which is possible if it is too warm or too weak to drink enough) then provide an electrolyte solution via dropper or small syringe. You can get packets from your feed store (best), or in a pinch get some unflavored Pedialyte (some people use Gatorade, but Pedialyte is better).

Something else to add would be additional PREbiotics. A lot of chick starters already have some, but adding some in the form of finely diced raw garlic or wheat bran would help those beneficial bacteria found in your probiotic chick booster set up shop more easily in the chick's gut. If you do the garlic route, be sure to offer chick grit as well to aid in grinding.

This is all I can think of without actually having your brooder and chick in front of me for hands on. Good luck!