1 week old chick sick!!

[Sydni Crawford]

I have a new group of babies that hatched on February 3rd. 10 total. Everyone seems to do wonderfully except 1.
I have a little buff orpington that is opening and closing her beak often, stretching her neck out, and shaking her head. I have noticing a little bit of clear discharge when she shakes, but it looks/feels like water, and occasional sneeze.
I notice these symptoms more after she drinks.
Tonight she has been a little lethargic compared to everyone else and hanging close to the heating lamp.
I am using a medicated feed, probiotics and electrolytes in the water, and brooder temp is regulated between 90-95.
If anyone could give me some advice I would greatly appreciate it!
Im getting so attached, and don’t want her to suffer, if she is ill.
Thanks,
Sydni

 

[MGG]

@azygous

 

[azygous]

Did you hatch these chicks yourself, or get them from a private breeder? If the latter, yes, this chick could have a respiratory illness.

If you hatched them yourself, unless you've been in direct contact with an adult flock, yours or someone else's, there's small chance this is respiratory and contagious.

But your chick sounds sick. If it's hanging under the heat source (heat lamp?) at the high temps you indicated, it isn't processing its food calories efficiently. Likely it has some under developed organs that need to catch up to it.

Poultry Nutri-drench and warm sugar water are essential. You need a slender - pencil size, oral syringe (free at any pharmacy, just ask). You'll need to give it maybe 1 ml of sugar water with a drop of Nutri-drench in it every couple hours until the chick perks up and starts behaving normally.

If you wet the feed, it will find it easier to eat. If you ferment the feed, you can dispense with the probiotics and electrolytes, which shouldn't be given longer than the first week.

You need to watch the chick to be sure it's pooping like the others. If you see small dry turds, the chick is in trouble, especially if you've been giving it special infusions of the warm sugar water. If you see it strain to poop, and peep rapidly and loudly as it strains, it's constipated and needs to be treated with coconut oil or it can die. If you don't have any, I suggest you get to the store tomorrow and get some to have on hand just in case. Get the unrefined with the coconut taste left in. Chickens like the taste.

By the way, the brooder shouldn't be any warmer in the heated zone than 85F at this point. The rest of the brooder needs to be much cooler so chicks can shed excess heat, or else they will become heat sick. But the sick chick may need a bit more heat than the others. I like to give a sick chick their own tiny heating pad, $9 for a 9" x 10" one-setting pad at Walmart, and rig it up taco style in a corner of the brooder with some fluffy fleece material to keep it warm and secure until it's feeling active again.

 

[Sydni Crawford]

Thank you!
I have been keeping a very close eye on her. I will go get the nutri-drench first thing in the morning.
I have decreased the brooder temp.
so far her poop has been completely normal, that was one of the things I watched first.
@azygous

 

[azygous]

I'll check back here in the morning in case of any new developments and you need some support.

 

[Sydni Crawford]

I'll check back here in the morning in case of any new developments and you need some support.

Do I need to separate the chick? I am headed to go and get supplies now

 

[azygous]

Sick chicks, unless they're contagious, do better left with their buddies. Is the little one showing any improvement? Did you give it sugar water last night?

 

[Sydni Crawford]

Sick chicks, unless they're contagious, do better left with their buddies. Is the little one showing any improvement? Did you give it sugar water last night?

No better, no worse. She really perks up after the sugar water and scurries to the food bowl to eat. I can’t tell if she is actually eating or just pecking at it. She sounds almost “snotty” this morning, but I hear it more after she drinks.

 

[azygous]

Is she still standing around with her beak in the air, gaping?

 

[azygous]

Feel her little crop. Is it fuller than the others? Is it hard?