Horrible shipping experience and need some advice

[janinepeters]

...And are you putting one of those chick preparations of electrolytes and vitamins in the water? Maybe a bit of sugar, too, to get some calories into her? Might perk her up.

 

[bj taylor]

i had one chick doing poorly. she had basically quit. i gave her warm sugar water (dipped her beak in it every hour or so). i could see her pick up. she did fine. some will some won't. i'm baffled how you got a chick in pieces.

 

[FreckledFarmer]

Yes. Every time I have a break with the kids I pull her out and dip her beak in water with electrolytes a few times. It ends up being every 2 hours or so. She seems to take water without a problem. How often should I be doing it?

 

[ducksinarow]

Soak the food and offer it every 15 minutes. This may seem like too often but that is what is done with baby birds like robins and such. Make sure it stays hydrated and warm.

 

[FreckledFarmer]

My friend came over and was baffled as well and she was unhappy with the packing. She thinks the heating pack squished her because it was weighty. Her organs were scattered around her. I was horrified. I thought that they had torn her apart but my friend who is experienced in raising chickens thinks she was squished then trampled. Her father who has raised chickens his whole life said it was very unlikely that they had torn her apart

 

[RonC]

She should just now be starting to need food depending on the length of the trip. Wet crumbles are good(hope you don't spoil her) and would be easy for her to eat. Keep giving her the electrolytes and water. Might want to use a bandaid and tape her legs a normal distance apart. Keep her warm but not too hot. The beak pecking is normal, they will stop as they get older. We're all pulling for the little one.

 

[theoldchick]

 

[Pasadenachicken]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I feel fortunate that my one that was dead on arrival and the other trampled was bad enough, but not what you had. That's truly awful and I hope you have a photo to send to whomever shipped to you.

Not sure what happened in my case, but the most traumatic part was losing the sweet little chick later that night. I was doing everything I could but it wasn't enough. She was pretty mangled in the box, I was kind of shocked she lasted as long as she did.

I really hope your little patient makes it. Sending positive thoughts.

 

[FreckledFarmer]

I didn't take a picture. I didn't even think of that. I just wanted to get the chick.. and the smell... out of my house. I was afraid if I didn't immediately get rid of it my son would find it. Not that I think he would understand what it was... it didn't look like a chick. After reading that a poster was told to open in front of the post office employee I feel stupid for not doing that too. I live in a very rural area where chicks are shipped often and the post officer acted as if the smell of my box was a very unusual think to happen. She looked horrified when I walked in the door... It could have been that I had two small children with me. She told me that she thought it was going to be bad... from there all I could think about was how to handle it on my own.. I didn't even think about how I was going handle trying to a refund.

Update on chick: She made it through another night. She is still laying on her side. We did something really stupid last night... I cried when I found out that we did something wrong.... I told my husband that I was advised to give her yogurt. We only had my son's toddler yogurt and I thought that it would be bad to give that to her since it was flavored and might be harsh on her tummy. My husband was like "well I am going to give her milk then to get her some calories. She takes liquid so well." I was like "Ok I read chickens can have dairy (I'm an idiot)"... I went back to check if it was ok but by the time I saw that it was bad he had already given her some... alot actually. She was drinking it like she was starving... which I am sure at that point she was. I had him stop give her water with electrolytes. I feel so stupid! We are back to giving her electrolyte water and trying to feed her soften crumbles. When he checked on her first thing he said she was the same as last night and no watery poops. I have had her for 48 now. I feel like I am allowing her to be in pain or that she will never recover but just stay alive in this state. There were several points yesterday that I thought we were going to loose her. I am really surprised that she is still with us. Is there any hope of her making it if she strived this long?

 

[FreckledFarmer]

I put the crumbles into electrolyte water, making this very watery mush and putting in a dropper and fed it to her that way this morning. She seems to get a lot more that way and is more willing to take it. She will open her mouth for me.

She is laying on her side and now she will push herself around in circles and her wings end up behind her. Should I pin her wings to her side so this doesn't happen? If so, what do I use. I don't have any medical tape? I see suggestions for panty hose... will that work with a chick?

Her feathers on her wings also are looking very thin and there is space between them.. it looks like she has some pulled out or something but there aren't any in the box that she is in.

I am so confused and I am starting to worry about the other chicks because I have no time to spend with them between constantly caring for the injured chick and my children. I spend SOOOO much time with the injured one. She will be crazy spoiled. The other chicks see me several times an hour when I am checking on their food, or temp or on the injured on but I have no time to "handle" them.