Help # 3 week old buff orpington not stopped eating for 5 days and not doing well.

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chickenloves5

chickenloves5

In the Brooder
May 13, 2016
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OK so I have this cute buff that is my favorite. I bought her at a local farmer. the other buffs are growing so well but not her. She stopped eating some days ago and all she will do is stay at the corner and tuck her head in. I have started her on antibiotics and also on probiotics vitamins ect nothing is working. Symptoms started after the first day I let them play in the grass a little bit. she seems to be very cold all the time as she looks to hide under the other chicks. What can I do for her? I am a newbie and I have my heart on this one, she is absolutely the cutest and I just want to help her.
 
I would say the very first thing to do would be to double check your temperature. You should have a heat light on one corner and it should be around 95 to 100 degrees F. You can also try putting a heating pad under it. Hope she gets better. I lost one of my babies this week and it sucks. Mine flew out at only 1 week old and I searched for 2 days and never found her. She either froze or got trapped somewhere. Mine are in the garage in a Rubbermaid tote. I had no clue that they could fly that well so early. I watched them afterward and noticed they were jumping up and flying to nab little bugs that got in the garage because of the light at night. Now I have hardware cloth on top to keep the others safe. It really does suck because you get attached very quickly.
 
Can you post photos of your brooder setup and the chick?
Are you feeding chick starter and do they have access to a source of grit?
Is her crop empty or is it hard, swollen, squishy?
What antibiotics are you offering?
Is she fluffed up and lethargic?
What does her poo look like?

You may want to consider treating for Cocci, sometimes there is no bloody stool and dosing with Corid won't hurt.

Dosage for Cocci is 1 1/2 teaspoons Corid powder per gallon or 2 teaspoons of 9.6% Corid liquid per gallon
Give for 5-7 days - make sure this is the ONLY water available during that time period. Mix a fresh batch at least once a day.

Afterwards give some poultry vitamins in the water for a few days, and a bit of plain yogurt for probiotics.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1103914/coccidiosis-not-sure-if-my-chickens-have-it
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/818879/updated-corid-and-amprol-amprolium-dosing
 
Last edited:
If your temperature is right I would also suggest checking her vent to make sure she doesn't have pasty butt. That will stop them from eating. If she does you can clean it with a warm damp rag. The cocci treatment is a good recommendation. I've also heard of some chicks ingesting the pine shavings and them swelling inside. If that could be the case you'll want to provide some chick grit to help break it up. Though, I'm not sure how easy that would be if you can't get her to eat it. You can try giving water with an eye dropper if necessary.
 
thank you for all your helpful comments. I will try to post pictures as soon as possible. The antibiotic is a broad spectrum one the TCS gave me. Where do I find Corid Powder? Her poop is normal and no pasty butt. She just stays in the corner of the rubbermaid box all fluffed up with her head stucked in. I checked her crop and it was empty. So I made some yolk egg with some honey and some vitamin mix in there and hand fed her. She looks less lethargic now but still not well.
 
Happy to report that my buff made it. I started the corid treatment but things did not improve until I read somewhere that honey and yoghurt sometimes helps. Well I gave her only honey and yoghurt with some flax oil four times a day and after 3 days of treatment she started to eat on her own and now she is a ball of energy :) Ah the feeling when they make it :) :) :) Thanks for your help, reporting back just in case someone will experience the same issue :)
 
Glad to hear she is doing well!

In your first post you mention that you started her on antibiotics - how many days/dosages of antibiotic did she have before you used Corid and the honey and yogurt?
 

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