Is she overheated?

EquestrianEm

In the Brooder
Mar 17, 2016
79
1
43
I have a chick that is a 5 week old RIR that I have been keeping in the coop with the rest of the chicks with a heat-lamp. She has been acting really strange for the past day --she is usually VERY spunky and is always the first chick to the coop door when I open it-- She is now standing still...eyes close every now and then...(Moving around slowly) (runny yellow-green poop). Please help me! I am very new to this so I am not sure what's wrong with her? She is drinking but barely eating her feed. Could she be over-heated by the lamp? I just positioned the heat lamp a little higher and the in corner of the coop just in case.. She does almost have all of her feathers. I'm so worried!
 
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It's possible your chick has an infection. It's excellent that you've provided a description of the chick's poop. Poop is one of the very best clues to what might be going on.

There is no doubt your chick is sick, not overheated. You can rule that out because a five-week old is very good at self regulating their heat needs. And by the way, at five weeks, your chicks need very little, if any, heat. They have enough feathers by this time not to need heat.

But your chick's greenish poop indicates it isn't eating, and the watery consistency probably indicates it may have a bacterial infection. Do you have any antibiotics on hand? Amoxicillin? Maybe left over cat or dog antibiotic? Or even your own?

If not, get to the feed store and pick up a broad spectrum antibiotic, usually you can get it to mix with water. Or ask a vet for something. I would give a little chick a fourth the dose I would an adult chicken. I usually give my sick adult chickens a full 250mg capsule. One per day, so one-fourth of that per day for a chick for ten days.

It's doubtful your chick will get better without treatment. I hope you're in the US, as I understand it's almost impossible to get antibiotics if you're in Europe without a prescription.
 
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Thank you SO much for your help. I will be going to the feed store tomorrow morning to get the broad spectrum antibiotic. I really appreciate it.
 
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I just picked her up and I noticed that her crop is also swollen. I am also reading that she could possibly have a blockage? She is drinking but she is not eating like she was this morning. She did just poop and it was very dark-liquid poop. I am getting so worried. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help her before I can get her antibiotics in the morning?
 
It's possible your chick has an infection. It's excellent that you've provided a description of the chick's poop. Poop is one of the very best clues to what might be going on.

There is no doubt your chick is sick, not overheated. You can rule that out because a five-week old is very good at self regulating their heat needs. And by the way, at five weeks, your chicks need very little, if any, heat. They have enough feathers by this time not to need heat.

But your chick's greenish poop indicates it isn't eating, and the watery consistency probably indicates it may have a bacterial infection. Do you have any antibiotics on hand? Amoxicillin? Maybe left over cat or dog antibiotic? Or even your own?

If not, get to the feed store and pick up a broad spectrum antibiotic, usually you can get it to mix with water. Or ask a vet for something. I would give a little chick a fourth the dose I would an adult chicken. I usually give my sick adult chickens a full 250mg capsule. One per day, so one-fourth of that per day for a chick for ten days.

It's doubtful your chick will get better without treatment. I hope you're in the US, as I understand it's almost impossible to get antibiotics if you're in Europe without a prescription.
 
If you believe this chick has a blockage in its crop, it can't hurt to get some mineral or coconut oil into it. The oil would help the mass soften and if you massage it very gently in a downward motion, it could help to break it up so the crop will empty.

Hold a tiny container of warmed oil under its beak so it can sip some or squeeze some with an eye dropper into the side of its beak.
 

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