baby chick emergency!

[veglover]

Hey guys!

New chick mom here. I have 3 chicks; Two 2-3 weeks olds and one around 1 week old. The one week old seemed to be perfectly fine yesterday. Today upon arriving home I found her squatting down, eyes closed, semi labored breathing. She keeps opening her mouth just the tiniest bit when she breaths and I can here a clicking tik tik noise. Then she will have an "attack" and shake her head and make a really loud chirp/hickup/sneeze noise. She will only lay under the light. They have immaculate living conditions.
I put a drop or two of oil down her throat but nothing seems to be helping! I'm sad and clueless. The other chicks are perfectly fine.

 

[CapricornFarm]

did you check her nostrils to see if they are plugged?

 

[veglover]

No she's not plugged up. She just wants to be held so that's what i'm doing. It's almost like she can't breath through her nose so she has to do so through her mouth. She is eating from our hands but will not drink any water. She also seems pretty low energy.

 

[berniezahm]

Good Luck!

 

[bargain]

Are you using medicated feed???? She sounds like she may have a vitamin deficiency - is her head tilted to the sky or side. This often indicates the need for more vitamin E and selinium....you can use about 2 drops of baby human vitamins but none with IRON in it.

Praying she will be better. Farmer Nancy

 

[AshPack]

It could be any number of problems. Has the chick been feeding or drinking atall? Have you checked the crop on the chick?

 

[veglover]

Her crop is fine. I gave her some more oil before bed last night and she seemed better this morning (eating, drinking, digging). However, I have been at work all day and my boyfriend said she is still doing the mouth breathing/tik thing. The feed I have them all on right now is "Poultry Extreme Feed" which is what the people at the feed store I purchased the chicks from recommended. I am starting to think it is not the best and am going to another feed store tomorrow to pick up a more specific medicated chick food seeing as I am unsure whether this is medicated and the best choice.
In regards to her head, it is slightly tilted but she moves it around a lot.
Thanks so much for your help so far!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Her crop is fine. I gave her some more oil before bed last night and she seemed better this morning (eating, drinking, digging). However, I have been at work all day and my boyfriend said she is still doing the mouth breathing/tik thing. The feed I have them all on right now is "Poultry Extreme Feed" which is what the people at the feed store I purchased the chicks from recommended. I am starting to think it is not the best and am going to another feed store tomorrow to pick up a more specific medicated chick food seeing as I am unsure whether this is medicated and the best choice.
In regards to her head, it is slightly tilted but she moves it around a lot.
Thanks so much for your help so far!

What kind of bedding are they on? because cedar will cause breathing problems in chicks. Hope she perks up and gets through this..

 

[veglover]

They are all on pine and I'm starting to think it is a respiratory problem. We got some VetRx and put the chicks on what we know is for sure medicated starter feed today. We also placed a few drops of the VetRx around the bedding and under the wings of the little sick chick because the feed store advised us not to give it to her orally since she is so little.
I'm just looking for some opinions on what to do at this point. She seems to do better in the mornings but gets her "click" back, and "breath" through her mouth, in the afternoon and at night.
How does the BYC community feel about VetRx? AND, is there anything else I should be doing to bring her back up to her chirpy self, ie antibiotics?

 

[Peppypap]

I had a chick that did thiso, but she only lasted a day. I hope you have much better luck!!