Mama Heating Pad in the Brooder (Picture Heavy) - UPDATE

[hpierce88]

Thank you for everyone who helped me out with the umbilical cord on my Columbian, it was good to hear that it was nothing to serious. I have been keeping an eye on it but nothing more the little chick seems to be doing very well so far.

Man now I want to add curtains to the list of things to add to the coop when we build just so my chicks don't feel left out.

Great, now we'll ALL need curtains..... Keeping Up with the KarChickians... Lol.

So I went on a little shopping spree to get ready for chicks. To go along with my purple coop, I got purple mason jar attachments.

A thermometer for the tank. And the all important heating pad. This is the right one correct? I got the most expensive one they had....lol

Lol, yup, that sounds like the right method of selection: "the most expensive one they had." ha ha. And here the rest of my family is using old rice in a worn sock for a heating pad substitute, because I'm too "cheep" to buy THEM the super deluxe one like the chicks have. Bah ha ha ha.

Thank you and yes, she is under my care and I'd do anything to help her. It's just so odd to me. Yesterday everyone was running, jumping, trying to fly and generally going nuts. I made for sure that everyone was under the MHP when I went to bed since they went all stupid when we enlarged the brooder and then this morning this one little baby out by herself.

Is there any chance she could've maybe eaten something that she shouldn't have that would block up the works, or cause some type of reaction? I hope she feels better soon.

 

[LilyBird]

Ok, so before I start making my cave...what size hardware cloth should I use? I have the 2"x4" and then some tiny .5" square stuff.

And just so I'm clear about the trials and errors...I put the heating pad under the wire and attach with bungee cords and then wrap the whole thing in a pillow case. Anything I missed? thanks for all the help!

 

[TerryH]

Is there any chance she could've maybe eaten something that she shouldn't have that would block up the works, or cause some type of reaction? I hope she feels better soon.

I don't think so. I don't know what it would have been other than some possibility of some wood shavings but I guess anything is possible. I hope she's better soon too. Anxious to get home and check on her.

 

[hpierce88]

Ok, so before I start making my cave...what size hardware cloth should I use? I have the 2"x4" and then some tiny .5" square stuff.

And just so I'm clear about the trials and errors...I put the heating pad under the wire and attach with bungee cords and then wrap the whole thing in a pillow case. Anything I missed?

thanks for all the help!

As someone who has experienced having a chick get stuck in the wire frame, I would say go with the smallest opening. Mine was the larger opening, and two chicks ended up sticking their heads through and getting stuck. Fortunately, no one was permanently injured, but man, that was scary.

 

[aart]

Ok, so before I start making my cave...what size hardware cloth should I use? I have the 2"x4" and then some tiny .5" square stuff.

And just so I'm clear about the trials and errors...I put the heating pad under the wire and attach with bungee cords and then wrap the whole thing in a pillow case. Anything I missed?

thanks for all the help!

If the pad will go under the wire(keeping chick heads from getting caught up in it), I'd use the stiffer wire, more supportive of the structure.

Quote: Sometimes in the first few days their digestive system can be sluggish and they get constipated, even with no pasty butt.

 

[poodlechicks]

I don't think so. I don't know what it would have been other than some possibility of some wood shavings but I guess anything is possible. I hope she's better soon too. Anxious to get home and check on her.

I don't know if this is what's happening to your chick, but I had the same behavior happen to one of my chicks+ eyes closed. It was chilled b/c it was smaller than the others and possibly couldn't pass them to get to the end of the cave and warm itself up. I had to remove her and since I don't have an incubator, place her under the heat lamp for a day to warm her . I then gave her a solution of 3 tbsp sugar in a gallon of water. She then had some more energy to start eating a warm mash made of cooked egg + water that she readily took from a spoon. She is now back w the others, but I had to make adjustments to the cave for her.
I'm thinking of making a hospital MHP in case something like that happens again.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you and yes, she is under my care and I'd do anything to help her. It's just so odd to me. Yesterday everyone was running, jumping, trying to fly and generally going nuts. I made for sure that everyone was under the MHP when I went to bed since they went all stupid when we enlarged the brooder and then this morning this one little baby out by herself.  

I could be that she had some sort of deficiency or tummy ache or was a bit weaker before and the stress of the brooder enlargement caused the symptoms to pop up! I don't think it's cocci as your brooder is exceptionally clean and amazing looking!! So you could probably ditch the Corrid. Though it might help just in case. But I would stick with Nutri Drench. Imo, no real need to use actual medicinemedicine unless they're truly sick. I think it's some sort of deficiency or stress and the Nutri Drench or maybe Sav A Chick will really help her. Or it should. Could be wry neck or something too. Which those will also help. Good luck and I hope she gets better!!!

 

[LilyBird]

Aart that is what I was thinking...the stiffer wire would be a better structure. And if I'm going to wrap the whole thing in a pillow case, there shouldn't be any way of them getting stuck in it...right?

 

[TerryH]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and for the concern. She's still the same. I wrapped her in a towel and held her for an hour and a half when I got home. I can get her to drink a little nutridrench but not too much. She doesn't seem to be in pain and slept in my hand for quite a while. She never did poop. Her vent is perfectly clean. Still nothing visually wrong with her. I got a video of what she does when I put her down. It scares me. Any suggestions would be awesome.

 

[AllynTal]

She almost acts like there's something on her face and she's trying to back out of it and/or shake her head to get it off. She acts just like a cat I had that stuck his head into a plastic container and then couldn't get it out. Backed around like that shaking his head trying to get the container off. Does she open her eyes? Do they look okay?

Or it could be wry neck. Try giving her some vitamin E.